Lost in Your Eyes (On Hold Due to Writer's Block)
by kazoquel4
Summary: After the war, Harry disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving the wizarding world. Six years later Ginny is attending a Muggle college when Harry shows up on her doorstep, changed from the teenager he once was and claiming dark wizards were once again threatening their world. Harry's new skills will be put to the test as he and Ginny struggle to save their family once more.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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**Chapter 1**

Ginny let out a curse, jiggling her key in the lock. Taking a deep breath, she shoved hard on the door and it popped open.

"Finally," she muttered, walking inside and slamming the door behind her.

With a sigh, Ginny dropped her purse on her couch and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair with one hand. Her long red hair drifted slowly down to her waist, gently tickling her back. She collapsed onto the couch, kicking her shoes off.

Her mother would be appalled at the state she kept her house in. True, the Burrow wasn't the neatest house in the world, but Molly at least put an effort into her cleaning. Ginny, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She tossed a shoe here, left a plate here; frankly, she just didn't care. What was the point, really?

Ginny was normally very tired after school, but tonight she just felt horrible. Her stomach churned and felt as if it were trying to jump out of her throat. And the worst part was, Ginny knew exactly why she felt so horrible.

Tomorrow was _the anniversary._

Ginny shook her head, trying to clear the thought out of her mind as much as possible, and stood up. She made her way into the kitchen, sparing a glance at the wall clock. 7:00.

She opened the fridge and pulled the bread out of it, popping a slice in the toaster. The bread disappeared into the silver machine, and Ginny leaned back against the counter, shutting her eyes for a moment.

At the age of 22, Ginny had matured into a fine woman. She stood at roughly 5'5 with a very petite figure and long, sweeping red hair. Her brown eyes were framed with long, thick eyelashes and a spray of freckles were sprinkled across her nose.

Many guys at the university had tried to ask Ginny out, claiming that she was 'hot', but she had turned all of them down, every single one of them. She hadn't been out on a date since she was sixteen, and she wasn't going to start now.

With a small 'ding' the toast popped out of the toaster. Ginny grabbed it and immediately dropped it onto a plate, blowing on her slightly burned fingers to cool them off as she grabbed the butter out of the fridge. Grabbing a knife, she spread the toast with butter before wrapping it in a napkin and strolling back out into the living room.

Ginny sat down on the couch and took a bite of her toast as she grabbed her remote with one hand. She pressed the power button and the small TV turned on, playing a news station. Ginny made a face and flipped through the channels, dismissing each show she saw. Finally she just turned it off, tossing the remote back onto the couch and finishing her toast.

With a yawn, Ginny stood up, crumpling her napkin and dropping it into the waste bin as she walked by. Getting up at six in the morning just wasn't her thing. She walked down the small hall into her bedroom, where she stripped out of her clothes and pulled on a large oversized t-shirt that came down to about mid-thigh.

She spared a moment to splash some water across her face and brush her teeth before collapsing very gratefully into her bed. She drew the covers up to her chin and shut her eyes.

Now that she was laying down, she let her mind stray to what she was dreading so very much tomorrow.

Six years ago tomorrow, Ginny had had her heart broken. Well, not exactly 'broken'. More like locked away until her love returned, which was beginning to look near impossible.

After the war had been won in Ginny's sixth year, she thought that everything would turn out perfect. Although the losses they had suffered, especially Fred's, had hit her hard, she believed that with time and care she would learn to get on with her life.

And she believed that Harry would too. Now that she thought back on it, she should have realized something was wrong. She had thought he was just grieving the people he had lost, but she hadn't realized that it ran much deeper than that.

Harry had started acting very odd after the war. He rarely spoke, and for most of the day he would just sit out in the yard, staring out at the countryside. He ate only when possible, and didn't talk anyone- not her, not Ron, not Hermione.

Everyone had tried to reach out to him, but he just ignored them or brushed them aside. Eventually, everyone just decided to let him heal and grieve on his own, until he was ready to ask them for help.

That was their mistake. Leaving him on his own hadn't been the thing to do. For three months he stayed wrapped up in his own thoughts, never shedding a tear, never speaking a word. Everyone had grown worried, and Mrs. Weasley had just been considering bringing him to a psychiatrist when it happened.

_Sixteen year-old Ginny was sitting in her room, reading a book. She flipped slowly through the pages, her brown eyes flicking across the page at a rapid pace, taking in the story._

_The door opened with a creak. Startled, Ginny looked up, then quickly put the book down. "Harry," she said, standing up._

_Harry shut the door behind him before turning around. His hair was messy, his brilliant green eyes hidden behind his glasses. He walked forward until he stood just a few feet in front of her, and stared._

_For a long time they stayed like that, just staring into each other's eyes. Ginny opened and closed her mouth, puzzled, but couldn't find anything to say._

_Finally, Harry moved. He slowly took her hands in his own, never breaking eye contact. He squeezed her hands once, letting out a small breath._

_"Harry?" asked Ginny in a small voice, starting to get scared. "Harry, what's wrong?"_

_Harry opened his mouth as if to speak, then just shook his head. He slowly leaned in and brushed his lips gently across hers, just once._

_"I'm sorry," he breathed, his warm breath tickling her cheek._

_He took a step back, into the middle of the room. Ginny lifted her hand to touch the spot where his lips had brushed hers._

_"Harry," she croaked, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Harry, what…"_

_He shut his eyes, as if to block her out, and shook his head one last time. _

_Then, with a crack, he disapparated._

_Ginny stood like that for hours, staring at the spot where he had disappeared. Her hand remained on her lips, the last kiss he had given her. She felt as if her heart had been ripped in two. She knew what had just happened, but her brain couldn't process it._

_Finally, she felt something hot wash over her hand. Thick, salty tears were streaming down her face silently. Suddenly her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the ground, heaving great, big sobs._

_The sounds she was making alerted everyone else in the burrow. Hermione was the first to rush in, crouching by her side and holding her close. _

_"Shhh," she said, rocking her back and forth. Ginny buried her face in her shoulder and cried, letting all her tears out. She cried until her eyes were red and her throat was raw and sore._

_A long time later, she looked up. Her parents and siblings stood in the doorway, looking puzzled. Ron stumbled forward, pushing through his family, and looked at Ginny. She knew that Ron knew. His eyes searched hers, pleading for it to be wrong, that Harry hadn't left._

_"He's g-gone," choked Ginny._

_Ron fell to his knees, staring straight ahead in disbelief. Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath, trying not to collapse into sobs, trying to stay strong for Ginny._

_"Who, Ginny dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley in a hoarse voice._

_"HARRY!" yelled Ginny, fresh tears streaming down her face. "He's g-gone, he's left, he's n-not coming back!"_

_Mr. Weasley walked forward and gently lifted her into his arms. She clung to him, sobbing and screaming, unable to believe the only person she had ever truly loved had left her. He gently laid her in bed and sat beside her, stroking her hair gently._

That had been six years ago.

They had searched and searched and searched for him, and then they had looked some more. After a few months almost everyone had given up.

He'll come back, they had told her. He just needs some time to come to terms with what has happened. He'll be back before you know it.

But Ginny knew in her heart he was gone. She should have been helping him, not leaving him to his own thoughts. She should have _known _that he would blame himself for everything that had happened during the war.

Hermione, Ron and her had searched long past everyone else. They had claimed that they would never give up. But, eventually, even Ron and Hermione had let it be, agreeing with everyone else.

_He would be back._

Six years. Six years and he still hadn't come back.

He was rarely discussed in the Weasley household. It just brought up bad memories for everyone, so it was easier to leave it unsaid.

Once in a while he was brought up, but only briefly, and never in large ways.

Mrs. Weasley had put him on the clock during the war, and every time someone walked into their house, they would glance at his hand. It never strayed from 'traveling'. Not one notch, not one click.

Ginny detached herself from the magical world after that. She finished her last year at Hogwarts without enthusiasm, then spent a year trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She didn't want to go into the Ministry of Magic, she had no desire to play Quidditch anymore…

She decided to go to a Muggle school and learn to do something in that world. At the age of 19, she had been accepted into a small university a few hours from the Burrow, majoring in English. She had some desire to become a writer, but she also slightly wanted to teach. She honestly didn't know.

Except for a family dinner once a month, she never ventured into the wizarding world. She threw herself into her studies, becoming a top student. She had a few friends, but she didn't date, something that everyone had learned relatively fast.

Now Ginny burrowed deeper into her bed, wanting to escape her thoughts and get some sleep. Finally, she felt herself drifting off to sleep. One last thought wove its way into her mind before she drifted off into unconsciousness.

_Goodnight, Harry._

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**A/N: Yes, I know, another story. I had this idea and I wanted to get it out. I'm not expecting a lot of people to read this, but if you do (and you like it) leave a review if you want me to continue, please.**

**If you read this, thanks : )**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ginny woke up to an incessant tapping at her window. She opened her eyes reluctantly, squinting through the sunlight streaming in through her window, before giving up. She groaned and flipped back over, burying her face in her fluffy pillow and trying to go back to sleep. And just when she was starting to drift off again…

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Alright, alright," she muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm getting up."

She stood up, setting her feet down on the freezing wood floor and letting out a giant yawn as she shuffled to the window, throwing it open. A large tawny owl flew in, dropped a small letter on her recently unoccupied bed, and flew back out as if it had never been there in the first place.

Immediately, Ginny was wide awake, blinking the sleep impatiently out of her eyes. Every year on this day, on the day that Harry had disappeared, she would get a note from Hagrid. He and McGonagall still searched for Harry when they had the time, and, as headmistress of Hogwarts, McGonagall would be one of the first to be notified of his return. Ginny had gotten five letters already, one for each year he had been gone, and all of them had said the same thing.

In one swift move Ginny swooped in and picked the letter up, opening it up and letting the torn envelope fall back to the bed. Taking a deep breath, she unfolded the heavy yellow parchment and read Hagrid's unmistakable messy handwriting.

_No sign o' him._

_-Hagrid_

Even though she had been expecting this, Ginny felt a heavy disappointment and loss settle over her. She stared at the words for a minute more before crumbling the paper in her fist and throwing it at the waste-bin. It dropped in with a satisfying 'clang'. Ginny dropped to the bed, taking a few steadying breaths to calm herself down.

_Why _had she let herself get her hopes up? There hasn't been a single sign of Harry for the past six years, and he had the entire Wizarding world searching for her. By now, Ginny should have just learned to accept the news that he was gone for good. Heck, he may even be dead for all she knew.

That thought didn't make Ginny feel any better.

She clenched and unclenched her fist a few times before crawling back under the warm covers, thanking the heavens that it was Saturday and she didn't have any classes to go to. Last year this day had fallen on a school day; it had been absolutely horrible, and everyone kept asking her why she felt so down.

After a while of just lying there with her eyes shut, she actually managed to drift back off into an uneasy sleep.

She awoke again at two in the afternoon to a rumbling stomach. Stumbling out of bed for the second time that day, she made her way into her small kitchen, rifling through her fridge clumsily. She grabbed the carton of milk and lugged it onto the tilied counter, reaching across for the box of cereal and pouring herself a bowl.

For the millionth time, she wished that she had gotten her mother's skill in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley could work with food like a… well, like a wizard, actually. Ginny, unfortunately, actually found a way to burn microwaveable soup.

Soup.

How do you burn soup?

After that, it was just toast and cereal for her, perhaps the odd egg if she was really feeling like a chef. Normally she would just go out and grab a bite to eat at one of the on-campus diners or fast food restaurants.

Ginny leaned against the counter, munching on her cereal glumly. Her eyes strayed to her bulging backpack sitting next to the coffee table. A piece of homework she had to complete by Monday was sticking out, taunting her with the promise of utter boredom. She scowled at the offending piece of work as if she could hurt its feelings that way and violently shoved another spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

Her family had thought she was crazy when she announced she was going to a Muggle college. Ron had actually offered to take her to a doctor (which had landed him a good thump on the back of the head by both her and Hermione). They didn't voice it, but Ginny knew many of them thought she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Well, here I am, thought Ginny dully. Completely bored out of my mind most of the time, but I'm doing it, aren't I? And I haven't flunked.

Hermione and Fleur had been the only two to fully believe in her. They had full-heartedly supported her and were there whenever she needed help with anything, socially or academically. Ginny wasn't exactly sure if she could have handled losing Harry so violently without them.

She fished for the last few pieces of cereal in her milk, chasing them around the porcelain bowl. When she had caught and eaten them, she drained the remaining dregs of milk down the sink and rinsed the bowl, stacking it in the sink to be washed later.

Then Ginny stood there awkwardly, not exactly sure on what she should do. She didn't want to do homework, she wasn't tired anymore, her book was starting to bore her, and Muggle television just wasn't good these days.

She headed back to her room to get dressed, deciding to head to the library and find a new book to read. When she had dressed in jeans and a nice shirt and run a brush through her hair, she grabbed her bag, slinging it across her shoulder as she went.

Out in the hall, she locked her door and walked down the stairs, exiting the dormitory. She frowned at the bright sun before setting off across the campus to the library.

The library really was fantastic. It was ginormous, made of a white material Ginny had never bothered to learn the name of, and was stacked floor to ceiling with books. Any book you could imagine, it was there. It was one of Ginny's favorite places to be.

She stepped inside, instantly relaxing in the dim light. It was much cooler in here and smelled musty and leathery. It was really the perfect place to be.

_I sound like Hermione, _Ginny thought with a snort, weaving her way to an empty table. She dropped her bag down in an empty wooden seat then turned to look around.

Avoiding the romance section entirely, she went for the mystery books. Ginny ran her finger along the different spines, reading them. Once in a while she would pull one down, flip through it, then place it back where she had found it.

"Need help, Ginny, dear?" asked a voice from behind her.

Ginny spun around, tensing slightly, before relaxing. "No, Mrs. Domotrovski," she said to the elderly librarian. "Just browsing."

"Alright, sweetheart," said Mrs. Domotrovski, smiling before heading back to her desk.

Shaking her head, Ginny turned back to the books. She felt so on edge today for no reason. After the war, she was always a bit more cautious; they all were. And, on this day, it would make sense for Ginny to be a little jumpy, she thought reasonably.

Finally just shutting her eyes and picking a random book off the shelf, Ginny grabbed a thick green novel and carried it back to her table. Sitting down at the wooden desk, she opened it and began reading.

It turned out to be a murder mystery. Ginny got lost in the plot, weaving her way through the wills of the deceased victim and the motives of the suspects. Was it for money, or revenge? So wrapped up was she that she didn't look up until someone tapped her shoulder.

"Ginny? We're closing up," said Mrs. Domotrovski.

Surprised, Ginny glanced at her watch. 6:00! She had been reading for almost four hours!

"Do you want to check that out?" asked Mrs. Domotrovski, gesturing to the book.

"Yes, please," said Ginny, handing it to her along with her laminated library card. Mrs. Domotrovski carried them both up to the front desk as Ginny packed up.

"Here you go, dear," she said, scanning the card and the book before handing them both back to her. Ginny smiled and put them in her bag.

"Thank you Mrs. Domotrovski. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetie," said Mrs. Domotrovski. As Ginny turned to walk out, the librarian stopped her again. "Oh, and Ginny?"

Ginny looked over shoulder quizzically. "Yes?"

"Be careful," Mrs. Domotrovski said, peering over her spectacles at Ginny. "It's getting late, and there are some very bad people in the world."

Ginny hesitated before smiling reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Thanks again."

"Goodnight."

Ginny pushed against the door and stepped out into the cool twilight air. Immediately a great shiver wracked her body. The air was cold and sharp outside, biting mercilessly at her skin. Ginny wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that she had thought to bring a sweater or jacket.

Ginny decided to take shelter in the on-campus diner, grabbing dinner at the same time. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. She set off along the deserted campus path, putting her head down against the wind.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling along the back of her neck. She paused, looking around suspiciously. She felt as if someone was watching her.

Then she shook her head. She was being absurd. It was getting late and she was a bit on edge today, that's all. Nothing sinister going on.

She shook off the feeling the best that she could and continued on her way, her pace noticeably quicker. She didn't think that anyone was truly following her, but all the same, it came as a relief to reach the diner.

"Hey, Troy," she greeted the host warily, rubbing her arms to bring some warmth back to them.

"Ginny!" said the tall blond man brightly. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight! Table for one?"

"As always," said Ginny, smiling tightly.

Troy grabbed a menu and led her through the crowded diner to a window seat in the corner. Ginny slipped in and he set the menu in front of her.

"Any drinks to start you off with?" asked Troy, taking out his notepad and looking at Ginny expectantly, lips pursed.

Despite herself, Ginny let out a small laugh. "Oh, stop it. Just a water."

"Well, fine," muttered Troy, closing his notepad with a snap. "If you don't want me to be fancy, whatever. One water, coming up."

Ginny rolled her eyes as her friend walked back into the kitchen, coming back a second later with a glass of water. Ginny sipped it gratefully, glancing down at the menu as she went.

"Do you know what you want?" asked Troy.

"Yeah," said Ginny, setting down her glass. "Just a burger, please. No fries."

"Okeydokie," said Troy, scribbling it down. "A burger with extra fries…"

"Troy," said Ginny warningly.

"I mean a burger with no fries," Troy corrected quickly, glancing worriedly at Ginny's glare. "Heh-heh, just joking, Gin."

"Mh-hmm," said Ginny, handing the menu to him.

"Your food will be right out, Madam," said Troy, bowing as he walked away.

"Idiot," muttered Ginny, sipping her drink again.

Ginny interested herself in watching the other customers while she waited for her food to arrive. She noticed a few people that she knew, and gave a small wave when they smiled in her direction. Her eyes strayed to the corner where she saw a couple kissing, and she let out an irritated sigh and leaned her head against the window.

The ice cold window felt wonderful on her forehead. She opened one eye to peek outside.

It was getting dark outside. The trees and buildings became faint shadows in the approaching darkness, and the grounds were deserted. A few lights were on in various dormitories, but it seemed like it would be a quiet evening at the University, something that Ginny liked. Some of the parties that she had been invited to during her years here… ugh.

Suddenly, Ginny leaned closer, a frown line creasing her forehead as she furrowed her eyes. Her brown eyes scanned the landscape, looking for something. Her warm breath fogged up the glass, and she rubbed it impatiently, looking through, but it was gone.

Ginny sat back in her seat, frowning. She could have sworn that she had seen a shape in the darkness, watching her. She shook her head. Probably just her imagination. All the same, her stomach was buzzing with inexplicable nerves, making her feel a tad bit nauseous.

"Here you go, Ginny," said Troy, zooming back in with her burger. He set it down in front of her, clicking it on the hard table.

"Thanks, Troy," said Ginny, sending him a large fake smile. Troy bought it, gave her a wink, then hurried over to one of his other tables.

Ginny picked at her burger, not that hungry anymore. It looked extremely delicious, but that shadow on the campus kept buzzing at the edge of her mind, nipping at her brain and not letting her concentrate. She let out an exasperated sigh and pushed the plate away, starting to feel sick.

_Maybe I'm getting the flu, _she thought glumly. Wouldn't that just be the icing on top of the cake?

She stood up, grabbed her bag, and made her way to the front. Troy passed by her and frowned at her uneaten food.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, no," Ginny assured him, pulling some money out of her bed. "I'm just not hungry. My stomach is acting up; I might be coming down with something. I'm just going to go and get some rest."

"Alright," said Troy, accepting the money and putting it in his apron. "Feel better, Gin. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," said Ginny, turning and making her way back into the cold night.

Ginny passed under the dark trees on her way back to her dorm. A gust of wind blew at her particularly hard, and she rubbed her arms to rub some warmth back into him. Honestly, it was the end of spring and it already felt like winter. What was up with the weather?

Then, she felt it. That prickling again at the back of her neck. Ginny froze, her eyes darting furiously around, scanning the trees and bushes surrounding her for anything suspicious.

Nothing. Biting her lip, Ginny took a cautious step forward.

A jet of red light shot out of the surrounding greenery. With a gasp, Ginny threw herself into a bush and out of the line of fire. The stunning spell missed her by inches.

Ginny landed hard on her hands. Rocks and sticks cut into her skin, scratching her up, but she had no time to think about that now. Instantly she was on her feet again, sprinting back to her dorm as fast as she could.

She cut across the grounds, leaping over picturesque ponds and weaving her way through the trees. Her shoulders were tensed, ready to spin around and attack if she had to. Why, oh why, had she stopped carrying her wand?

Surprisingly, no more spells came shooting out at her. She made it back to her dorm entrance without incident, and she opened the door and threw herself in, slamming the door forcefully behind her. The door rattled in its frame, but stayed solid, and Ginny stood, panting heavily, staring at the doorknob.

Nothing came for her. Shakily, ever so slowly, she crept back up the dark stairway and down the hall to her rooms. She fumbled in her pockets for her keys and opened the door, slipping inside.

Ginny dropped her bag to the ground and sank onto the couch, still panting. She tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened, but it seemed nearly impossible.

Four years. She hadn't done or received a spell in four years. And all of the sudden, she's walking home and a stunning spell gets shot at her out of the bushes! She didn't even know there were any witches or wizards at the university; she couldn't even begin to comprehend why they would attempt to hurt her. Was there anyone that she had offended recently?

Ginny wiped her dirty and scratched hands on her jeans but couldn't be bothered to wrap them in bandages just yet.

Ginny knew what she had to do. She stood up and strode purposefully into her bedroom, getting her nerves collected. Honestly, she had been through a war, and one little stunning spell got her all on edge. It was ridiculous. This wasn't how the Weasleys acted in the face of danger! She should be preparing, fighting back with everything that she had.

She threw open her closet, revealing a large brassbound trunk. It was old, with fraying edges, but it was still quite sturdy and safe.

Ginny tugged it out into the middle of the room, then paused. Was she ready for this?

Ginny shook herself and pulled down the latches.

_Of course she was ready._

She threw open the lid, revealing its contents. Inside was everything that she had from her days at Hogwarts, stuff that she had hidden away. Her old Quidditch robes lay folded to one side; her broom lay across the top; textbooks and old quills, loose parchment, the odd chocolate frog here and there. Ginny pulled out a striped Gryffindor scarf, smiling and pressing it to her nose. It still smelled the same, of magic and excitement and early morning Quidditch games. She wrapped it loosely around her shoulders and continued perusing through the trunk.

She raised an eyebrow at an old History of Magic essay that lay crumpled up in the bottom and groped around the bottom, looking for her wand.

Her hand brushed against a cool piece of metal and she froze. She let out a small gulp before making a decision and closing her hand on the picture frame and pulling it out.

She felt her heart grow heavy as she looked at the picture. It was of her and Harry in her fifth year, right after they had started dating. Colin Creevey had taken it and later framed it for her. When Harry had disappeared, it had just been too painful to look at, and she had locked it away with her old robes and broom.

It was a great picture of them. They were lounging together under the oak tree in front of the school. Ginny lay against Harry's chest, playing with a blade of grass. Harry was tugging at Ginny's hair, a grin quirking at his lips.

He looked exactly the same as she remembered him. The same boyish grin, windswept hair, and beautiful green eyes. His glasses were tilted slightly at an angle on the tip of his nose, and his smile was crooked and joyful.

Harry spoke to the Ginny in the picture, and she laughed and reached up to smack the back of his head. He pouted doubtfully for a moment before swooping down to kiss the very tip of her nose. She grinned and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down to her lips for a longer, deep kiss.

A sad smile tugged at her lips as Ginny watched her fifteen year-old self sit with a younger Harry. They looked so young and naïve, so innocent, before the war tore them apart. She set the photo aside gently and turned back to her trunk.

Her hands brushed the bottom, and she felt a frown cross her face. Where was it? It had to be here…

Her fingers rolled over a thin piece of wood, and Ginny snatched it up, lifting it out. A sudden warmth rushed through her hand, leaving a tingly feeling behind. A grin stretched across her face again as she felt her wand, the familiar warmth, the feeling of _rightness._

Why had she ever given this up? She remembered just how much she loved being a witch, performing spells.

Ginny starting packing the trunk back up. She reached for the photo of her and Harry, then stopped. She swung the trunk closed and locked it, grabbing the photo and standing up.

She set up the frame on her bedside table, facing it towards her. She and Harry were laughing and talking in the picture, sparing not a thought for the much older and war scarred Ginny looking down at them.

Ginny made her way into the living room holding her wand. Taking a deep breath, she held it in front of her.

"Lumos."

The wand tip flickered feebly. Ginny frowned, giving her wand a little shake.

"_Lumos!_"

This time, the tip of the wand ignited, letting off a powerful light. Ginny laughed, reveling in the magic once again.

She pointed her wand at a quilted pillow lying on the couch.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

The pillow gave a stubborn shake, then jerkily lifted up into the air. Ginny let out a grin of triumph and let it fall back down to the couch. She switched her wand to point at an apple lying on the counter.

"Engorgio."

The apple grew to almost triple in size. Ginny let out a small excited whoop before shrinking it again.

"Well, I'm back in practice," Ginny said to herself. She switched her gaze to the door and walked up, trying to remember the wards Hermione had shown her years ago.

"Muffliato," she whispered, tapping the wood. "Protego Totalum. Evansio."

Nothing appeared to happen to the door, but something clicked inside her, and Ginny knew that the wards had been placed. Satisfied, Ginny lowered her wand and turned to head back to her bedroom, feeling utterly exhausted.

She threw on the old t-shirt that she had worn last night and collapsed into her bed, setting her wand down carefully on her bedside table where she could reach it easily. With a yawn, she reached over and flicked her light off, shutting her eyes and falling asleep.

**A/N: Wow, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and favorite! It means a lot! Please continue leaving reviews, it means a lot to me. The next chapter will be a very big one, and has the return of someone very special to Ginny…**

**Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ginny woke up late the next morning to find her wards still safely in place. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she got out of bed and got dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of tight jeans and a blouse and pocketing her wand for the first time in years.

She walked into the kitchen, running a hand through her bright red hair and letting out a slow breath. She unceremoniously threw open the pantry and peeked in with a frown. Empty, except for an odd can of tomato paste. Alright…

Ginny turned to the refrigerator, opening it. A cold rush of wind blew out at her, and she shivered. The results of her search were fruitless. It was also empty, not one can of soda or carton of yogurt to be seen. She knew she should have gone shopping last week…

Ginny glanced nervously at the door. Sure, nothing had happened while she had been sleeping, but someone _had _shot at her with a stunning spell. What's to say that it wouldn't happen again?

Ginny brushed her fears aside and strode over, pulling out her wand. She carefully undid the spells just enough to get through to the hallway, then turned back and did them over again once more. Better to be safe than sorry. She didn't want anyone sneaking in while she was out, especially if they were a witch or wizard.

That finished, she re-pocketed her wand and strode out of her dormitory in the late morning sunlight. When she reached the spot where she had been attacked last night, she looked all around, but except for a trail of broken twigs where she had landed in the bushes, there was no sign of the attack anywhere.

Ginny grabbed a smoothie at the smoothie cart and took a walk around the grounds, sipping her drink casually. It was a very nice day, especially at the university, and the students were already taking advantage of it. It seemed that everyone was out and about, lounging in the shade with their homework or, more often, just talking or laughing. Ginny waved to a few people she knew but kept mostly to herself, her mind still on the attack last night. She would have to tell her family about it at the next Weasley dinner, in two weeks. She was sure that she would be able to cope with everything until then. No need to worry her family more than they already would be, especially here mum.

"Ginny! Hey- Gin!"

Ginny glanced to the side to see one of her closest friends, Rachel, waving at her from a bench. Her silky blond hair flounced perfectly as she waved to Ginny frantically, beckoning her closer.

"Hey, Rachel," said Ginny, walking up to her. Rachel grinned at her, showing off her perfectly white teeth and sparkling blue eyes. Rachel was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Ginny felt like a dish rag compared to her, but Rachel was one of the nicest people in the university despite the attention she got from guys. Though she was constantly being hit on, she remained true to her boyfriend of two years, Luke. There was a bet going around on when Luke would propose to her.

"What's up?" asked Rachel, closing the book she had been reading.

Ginny sat down next to her. "Oh, nothing, really," she sighed, sipping her smoothie. "Just trying to relax before heading back to classes tomorrow."

"Oh, I totally know what you mean," said Rachel, rolling her eyes sympathetically. "Although I don't exactly get much resting time. I had this lecture last night on business enterprising, and it was a total bore. Honestly, who wants to go to that? And I have to run the Peaceful Wishes meeting tonight, I swear, I made a total mistake joining that club." Rachel flipped her hair away from her face, frowning. "And Luke and I are going out to dinner after that, at like, a fancy restaurant. I don't have time to get ready, Gin!"

"You'll be fine," said Ginny, laughing a bit at her friend. The amount of talking she could do was just extraordinary. "You could wear a potato sack and still look the prettiest in the restaurant."

Rachel smiled. "Aw, thanks Gin! But really, do you think you could stop by at like, 8:00 tonight to help me get ready? It would help me so, so much! I only have about an hour to shower, do my hair, do my make-up, re-do my nails, get dressed-"

"Okay, okay," Ginny said, waving her hands around. "I'll help you. Merlin, calm down."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed Rachel, giving Ginny a hug. "You're the best, Gin."

"I know," teased Ginny, giving her a hug back.

"Okay," said Rachel. "I'll see you at eight. I have to go and meet Chelsea for a study session. See you later!"

"Bye, Rachel!" called Ginny as her friend hurried away.

Ginny shook her head, going back to her smoothie as she kept walking. Rachel sure was something, though they were polar opposites. Rachel was the most popular girl on campus, while Ginny had a tendency to keep to herself and focus on schoolwork. They had met a year ago in one of their classes, and Rachel had kind of taken Ginny under her wing. After Rachel's fruitless attempts to set Ginny up with a guy, Ginny had finally told her the basics of what had happened with Harry (leaving out, of course, the magical war that had taken place) and why she just wasn't up to dating. Rachel had been completely sympathetic and supportive, and had been there for Ginny ever since, almost as much as Hermione or Fleur.

For the next few hours, Ginny just kind of wandered. She caught lunch with a few friends that she had run into, helped dozens of people with homework they were having difficulty with, and sat and talked with whoever invited her. It wasn't the most productive day, but she had to admit that she enjoyed just relaxing for once. Normally she was at classes, or reading, or writing, but she never just drifted, going where she pleased.

She got dinner at the diner again, and this time was actually able to finish her burger. Glancing at her watch she jumped up. 7:45, time to head over to Rachel's dorm.

Twilight was ascending over the campus, and Ginny mentally groaned. Sure, she had her wand back, but she hadn't practiced for years. If she was to be engaged in an actual duel or battle, she wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe she could blind them to death with Lumos, or float them into a tree and run.

_I'll have to get back into practice,_ Ginny vowed herself. _Soon._

She reached Rachel's dorm at exactly 8:00. She had barely knocked on the door when it was thrown open and she was roughly pulled inside.

"_There _you are Ginny!" cried Rachel. She was wrapped in a fluffy green towel and her hair hung down in wet locks. "I've been waiting! I've already taken a shower, but I have no idea what to wear."

"Well," said Ginny, walking over to where she knew Rachel's closet was and throwing it open. "What about this?" She reached in and grabbed the first dress she could, pulling it out. It was a beautiful strapless red dress that flowed all the way to the floor. Sequins wound their way around the waist, catching the light and throwing out small rainbows wherever they hit. It was made of an extremely soft and smooth material, and Ginny had to hold on tightly so as not to drop it.

"Hmmm," said Rachel, circling it slowly and inspecting it. She touched a corner here, stroked it here, held it up to the light to see how it would look. Then she stepped back, a grin spreading across her face. "It's perfect! Oh, excellent choice, Ginny. I didn't even think of this! Luke's taking me out to a fancy French restaurant, I think. Chelsea offered to lend me a beret, but who wears those on a date? This is _much _better, thank you!"

She grabbed the dress, laying it down on the bed. Then she turned dramatically back to Ginny, waggling her eyebrows. "And now, hair."

Ginny spent the next hour helping Chelsea with everything, from her hair, to the exact shade of eye shadow she wanted, to getting the last of her eyebrow that was out of place plucked. Finally, she helped her carefully pull the dress over her head, letting it settle perfectly on her waist.

Ginny took a step back and caught her breath. Rachel looked absolutely amazing. The dress complimented her figure perfectly, fitting snugly into all of her curves. Her smoky eye shadow and dark lipstick made her seem beautiful and mysterious, and her hair, done up in a loose bun with a few loose curls escaping, added to the atmosphere she gave off all the more. She was taller than Ginny, wearing her heels, but that was fine as Luke towered above everyone, even if they were wearing heels.

Rachel looked into the mirror and let out an excited squeal. "Oh my gosh, Ginny, I look amazing!" She turned and wrapped her friend in a ginormous hug. "Thank you so much! Oh, you did such an awesome job. You should be a fashion designer!"

"I don't know about that," laughed Ginny, patting her friend on the back. "Now stop smothering me, or you're going to ruin your hair and I'll have to start all over again."

Rachel stepped back, smiling sheepishly, before looking in the mirror again. "It really does look amazing," she said, examining herself. "Really. I can't thank you enough."

Ginny waved her off. "It was nothing," she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I enjoyed it. Besides, you need to look all _purty _for Luke!"

Rachel laughed, swatting Ginny on the arm. "Oh, shut up. It's just a date, we've been on thousands of these."

"If you say so," sang Ginny crossing the room to start cleaning up the make-up materials.

"What?" asked Rachel suddenly, walking forward. "Do you know something? Did he tell you something? Is he breaking up with me?"

"No!" said Ginny, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "I was just teasing. Luke hasn't said anything." In truth, there were quite a few rumors going around that Luke was going to propose tonight, but if that was true, Ginny didn't want to spoil it for Rachel.

"Oh. Ok," said Rachel, relaxing.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Rachel immediately tensed again. "Oh, it's him!" she breathed, turning to stare at the door.

Ginny rolled her eyes and strode over to the door, throwing it open. On the other side was a very tall, good-looking man with light brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. He was wearing a suit and looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine. He smiled at me, happiness lighting up his features. "Ginny! I didn't expect to see you here. How are you?"

"Hey, Luke," said Ginny, smiling back. "I'm doing good. Rachel just wanted some help getting ready."

"Ah," he said, nodding. He craned his neck to peer behind me. "Is she here?" he asked.

"I'm right here," came a quiet voice. We both turned to look.

Rachel stepped into the room, clutching a purse. She looked up at Luke almost shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," said Luke, looking star-struck. "You look… you look… I mean…"

"Amazing?" suggested Ginny.

"Yeah," said Luke, grinning. "You look amazing, Rachel."

Rachel blushed and walked forward. Luke leaned down, planting a kiss on her lips before holding out his arm. "Shall we?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Rachel giggled and took the offered arm. "We shall," she said before turning to Ginny.

"I'll pack up here," Ginny said, gesturing to the make-up things. "You to go have fun. I'll lock up when I'm done."

"Oh, would you, Ginny?" asked Rachel gratefully. "That would be perfect. Thank you so much!"

"Of course," said Ginny. "Goodbye."

"Bye, Ginny," said Luke, and they walked off.

Ginny allowed the smile to wash off her face as they walked away. They reminded her so much of her and Harry, the way they interacted so easily, how perfect they were together. She felt the familiar sadness tug at her heart, but she brushed it away and turned back in.

She cleaned up the make-up and the hairspray, putting everything back in Rachel's bathroom. When she had finished she locked the room, exiting the building.

Her watch claimed that it was already 9:15. Ginny cursed softly. She hadn't meant to stay out this late. She had classes tomorrow, and the worst thing she could do would be to fall asleep in them.

She walked quickly across the grounds, not stopping for anything. She didn't want to give anyone the opportunity to shoot at her again. If that stunning spell had hit last night… well, Ginny wasn't sure where she would be right now.

Clouds rolled across the sky, obscuring the full moon for a few seconds. Ginny thought absentmindedly of Remus, then stopped. Thinking about him and Tonks and Fred were just all too painful, even now, years later.

When she reached her dorm building and put a hand on the doorknob, she knew something was wrong. Frowning, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, sprinting up the staircase to her floor.

She stood in the hall, staring at her door. She could tell immediately what was out of place. Her wards. They had been removed.

Slowly taking out her wand, Ginny crept cautiously across the hall. She trained her wand on the door, not letting her guard down. _Constant Vigilance, _as a famous auror had told her many years ago.

Constant Vigilance.

She reached her door, laying a hand slowly on the cold doorknob. Yes, the wards were gone. And they had been good ones, too. Whoever had removed them must have been very good wizards, or else dark ones.

Constant Vigilance.

She pushed open the door and peeked in. The lights were still off, and it was pitch black inside. Ginny carefully slipped inside, shutting the door behind her without creaking it. She hoped that she didn't alert the intruders to the fact that she was home just yet.

Constant Vigilance.

It was so dark, Ginny didn't notice him at first. When her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she scanned her surroundings.

There he was. He was sitting on the couch, unmoving. His back was so straight, his posture so erect, that at first Ginny thought that she was looking at a statue. Then his head turned to look at her, and the man stood up.

Ginny's breathing was coming very fast now, her wand shaking. _Constant Vigilance, _she thought, holding her wand out. _Constant Vigilance. Constant…_

She couldn't make out his features, but she _knew. _Knew it in her heart. The stranger waved his wand, and the lamps flickered on, flooding the room with light.

Ginny felt her heart stop, and her breath flew out of her all at once. Her wand slipped out of her numb fingers with a clatter, as she stared at the intruder with wide brown eyes.

"_Harry?_"

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun! Harry is back! I hope everyone like this chapter : ) I really like Rachel, so that was fun to write. **

**Thanks so much for all the favorites and the awesome reviews! I'd especially like to thank MelGinnylover for her totally amazing review. Thanks so much, it made my day to hear that from you : )**

**Next chapter should be up soon! Are you guys ready to meet the new Harry?**

**Please continue reviewing, it means a lot to me and encourages me to keep writing. Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_Harry?_"

Ginny felt herself shocked into silence as she stared at the man in front of her.

He was different, yet still the same. The same bright green eyes, hidden behind the same glasses he had always worn. His hair was still untidy and messy, and his famous lightning scar was clearly visible on his forehead.

He was much taller, and towered over Ginny by three or four inches. His face had a more schooled look to it, showing no emotions. He gazed down at Ginny with a cool expression.

"Harry?" Ginny asked again. "I- how-" she choked, feeling as if the world were swimming around her. It couldn't really be him, could it? It had to be a hallucination. A figment of her imagination.

After not seeing him for all these years, never getting so much as a note or a sign of him, he just shows up in her living room. It would be enough to turn anyone's world upside down.

"What… what…" Ginny swallowed hard. "What are you doing here?"

Harry looked down at her, no emotion flickering in his beautiful green eyes.

"You're in danger," he said finally, in a deep voice. Ginny's heart thumped at hearing him speak again for the first time in years.

"I'm in danger?" asked Ginny incredulously.

"Actually, your whole family is in danger, as are the Granger's," continued Harry. "I'm here to make sure you are safe."

Ginny felt anger starting to burn up inside her, the shock of seeing him wearing off. "You… you…" Ginny was practically shaking with anger. "You leave without a word, for six years- _six years, Harry!- _and come back to tell me I'm in DANGER?What the hell is wrong with you!?" Ginny felt tears burning in her eyes. "You could have been DEAD for all we knew!" she shouted at him.

"Ginny-"

"Don't you _Ginny _me! You have no right to even say my name after what you did!" Ginny strode forward and punched him in the jaw. Immediately, a stabbing pain ran through her arm and into her hand.

"Bloody hell!" Ginny exclaimed, rubbing her hand.

"Nice try," said Harry, rubbing his jaw once before resuming his stance. He glanced at her hand. "Let me see that," he said quietly, holding out his hand.

"No," growled Ginny, clutching her arm protectively.

"Look, you're obviously injured, and I can fix it," snapped Harry.

"It's fine!" Ginny snapped back at him.

Harry took a deep breath, schooling his features. "Fine," he said shortly. "Now, I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to answer it. Has anything strange been happening around you?"

"Actually, someone shot a stunning spell at me yesterday," Ginny said, glaring at him.

"Shoot," muttered Harry. "That meant I was right."

"What?" asked Ginny, but Harry just strode past her to the door, tapping his wand and muttering on the door. "Harry?"

"Wards," he explained, finishing and pocketing his wand. "Now then. As to why I am here, I have received a tip-off that there are dark wizards on the rise again. They're old death eaters, and want to avenge Voldemort. Obviously, this means killing the people that helped bring about his downfall."

"You," Ginny guessed.

"And Ron and Hermione," said Harry, "and you."

Ginny sat down on the couch, frowning. "Alright," she said. "You've checked up on me. You've done your job. You can leave now."

"Ginny-"

"I don't want to hold you back, obviously you've got a great job and a great life, not to mention a girlfriend probably-"

"_Ginny-_"

"You didn't even say good-bye!" Ginny shouted at him abruptly. Harry stopped, looking at her. "You didn't even say good-bye," continued Ginny, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "You just left! No explanations, no anything! You never cared about me, you never cared about any one of us! You just threw us away, Harry, you threw us away and didn't come back! I loved you, and I thought you loved me back, but obviously, I was mistaken. I was horribly mistaken, and I won't do it again!" Ginny sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. All of the hurt that she had felt when Harry had left welled up inside of her until she thought that it would consume her. She broke down completely, putting her head in her arms and crying.

Ginny felt a weight on the couch beside her. She felt hesitant arms wrap around her, pulling her close. "Shhh," she heard Harry whisper over her sobs. "Shhh, it's alright, I'm here, it's okay."

After a moment, Ginny sat up, wiping her eyes. Harry took his arms off, sitting back with a sheepish look. Ginny almost smiled. He looked much more like the Harry she had known when he wore that look.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't… I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"Then why did you leave?" asked Ginny thickly.

Harry frowned, uncertain. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. "After the war…" he said quietly, "I… I was grieving, Ginny. Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, my parents; this war had ripped away everyone. And I thought it was all my fault. I realize now that I share the blame with many, and that it was a mistake to shoulder it all."

"We were all grieving, Harry," Ginny said. "We were all grieving and healing together. We wanted to help you, Harry, you shouldn't have left because of that."

"It wasn't just that," Harry said quietly. "My entire life had been leading up to that final battle. The prophesy, all those lessons with Dumbledore- everything had been heading towards that. Once it was over, and I had completed my duty, what use was there for me anymore? I had finished my job, I wasn't needed anymore. I was lost, Ginny, I didn't know what I would do with my life."

"Harry," Ginny whispered, "why didn't you come to me?"

"I don't know, Ginny!" said Harry so forcefully Ginny sat back in surprise. "I was young and confused, and I just wasn't ready to face anyone yet."

"And you're ready now?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," said Harry. "Now, can I please have a look at your hand?"

Ginny frowned, then grudgingly put her hand out. Harry took it gently, sending shivers up Ginny's spine.

"You broke your thumb," Harry said, examining it. "I can fix that easily."

"What is in your jaw?" asked Ginny. "Cement?"

Harry chuckled, reaching into his robes and pulling out a small miniature trunk. "It wasn't all my jaw," he said, setting it on the ground and tapping it with his wand. It grew in size until it was an actual trunk, which he then opened. "You held your hand wrong. You can't wrap your thumb in your hand, all the force goes directly onto it, especially since you hit me on the hardest part of my jaw. I can teach you how to do it better later." He peeked into his trunk, rifling through it before pulling out a small potion vial. "Drink this," he said, handing it to Ginny.

"Since when were you so wise in the ways of punching people?" asked Ginny, drowning the potion with a grimace. "The last time I checked, you weren't a violent person."

Harry took the empty vial, putting it back into his trunk. "I've changed," he said shortly. He reached for her hand, giving it a small tap with his wand.

"Ouch!" yelped Ginny as the bone sprang back into place. Then she examined her healed thumb. "Nice," she complimented.

"Thanks," said Harry, re-shrinking his trunk and putting it back into his pocket.

Ginny sat there, watching him. He was standing straight up, his eyes darting around her dorm. His eyes traveled to the windows, to the doors, to all the cracks and crevices that could hide anyway.

He was so changed. The Harry Ginny knew had slouched, always wearing a sheepish and slightly confused expression. This Harry was as rigid as a rod, looking all the part a hardened Auror. Which brought Ginny to her next question…

"Where have you been?" she asked.

Harry stopped his assessment of her apartment, instead looking at her. "What do you mean?"

"Where have you been?" repeated Ginny. "We looked everywhere for you, but it was as if you dropped off the face of the earth. Where have you been all these years?"

"The better question is where haven't I been," Harry said, taking a seat opposite Ginny in an armchair. "I've been all across the world, training."

"Training for what?" asked Ginny, exasperated. At this rate, no one of her questions were ever going to be answered.

"I drank for a year, Ginny," said Harry abruptly. "Trying to dull what I was feeling. I traveled all over the place, just trying to forget everything. I was trying to forget you," he said in a quieter voice, "because it hurt so much to lose you."

"Harry…" said Ginny, lost on what to say.

Harry cleared his throat. "Kingsley found me," he went on. "He was acting Minister for Magic by that point. He found me in a bar, and you know what he did?"

"What?"

Harry chuckled fondly. "Gave me a well-deserved slap to the face. Told me I had to get a hold of myself, pick my life back up. I explained why I wasn't ready to go back to my old life just yet. Kingsley didn't agree, but he respected my decision. Decided to help me. He gave me a job."

"What job?" asked Ginny.

"An Auror," said Harry. "But not the regular kind of Auror. It's a branch of the Unspeakables, a small group of the best Aurors in the business. We take on specific missions too dangerous or top-secret for the regular Aurors."

"So Kingsley has known where you've been all this time?" asked Ginny, outraged.

"Don't be mad at him," Harry said. "I made him promise not to tell. Besides, even he didn't know where I was half the time. What I do is that top-secret. I was somewhere in Asia by the time his owl reached me to check up on you."

"I was your mission," said Ginny quietly.

"You were," admitted Harry, "but that's not the reason I took this on."

"Why did you?" asked Ginny.

Harry frowned. "I wanted to see you," he said. "It's been long enough. Plus, I didn't trust anyone enough to take care of you as well as I could."

"So modest," said Ginny dryly. "So what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, glancing at her.

"Well, you've checked up on me," said Ginny. "And you must be very busy. Are you… are you leaving again?"

Ginny hoped against hope that he would not leave her again. She didn't think she would be able to bear it. Who knew how long it would be before she saw him again if he did choose to leave? To have him so close and to have him leave again… Ginny couldn't handle that. The first time had been bad enough.

"No," said Harry, and Ginny felt her heart soar. "My mission isn't complete yet. I was assigned this entire job, and that means checking up on everyone and then solving who is behind the attacks. I chose you first, but we will be traveling to see the rest of your family."

"Are you ready to see them again?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"I will deal with it," said Harry shortly, reverting back to business. "Now then, it's nearly eleven thirty, and you look practically dead on your feet. I suggest you get to sleep, as we will be leaving in the morning."

Ginny was indignant at being spoken to that way but decided to let it slide as she _was _totally exhausted.

"Alright," she said, standing up. She glanced at Harry once more before going into her room and quickly throwing on an old t-shirt and a pair of shirts, exiting in record time. To her immense relief, Harry was still there when she returned, and hadn't left.

He was walking around the living room, tapping the windows with his wand and muttering protection spells as he went. Ginny watched him silently. For the millionth time, she marveled at how… un-Harry-like he was. Or, at least, her Harry.

And that led her to another dilemma: he wasn't her Harry anymore. Who knew where they stood? She had no reason to assume that he would still like her in that way, even though she obviously did. But even if he didn't, just having him back was enough for her, even though she hoped that he still had feelings for her.

"Done," said Harry, stepping back. "I need to do your room," he said to Ginny, and she knew that he had known she was there the entire time.

"M-kay," said Ginny through a giant yawn, her eyes threatening to close. She was just realizing how tired she was. The day had really taken a toll on her. "It's over here."

She led the way to her bedroom, sinking into her bed as Harry walked over to the windows. Ginny watched him through half-open eyes as he performed the wards before stepping back.

"Harry?" Ginny mumbled as he turned to leave again.

He paused in the doorway, and Ginny saw him turn his head towards her. "Yes?"

Ginny patted the bed next to her. "Stay with me," she said quietly. "Please."

Her eyes slipped shut, but Harry didn't join her. Ginny felt hurt sweep through her when suddenly she felt the bed dip down as Harry lay down next to her. She felt a weight join her on the pillow, and in her sleep, Ginny smiled.

"Goodnight, Harry," she mumbled, as she had almost every night since he had left.

For the first time, she got an answer.

"Goodnight, Ginny," he whispered into the night.

* * *

**A/N: Awww, they're so cute : )**

**What do you guys think of Harry? A bit different, but still the same underneath.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and follows, please keep them coming! I love how many of you take the time to leave me a bit of feedback on my story. Please continue to do so!**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ginny didn't want to wake up the next morning. She felt so amazingly comfortable, and so warm. Strange, her bed didn't normally feel like this. And what was…

Her eyes flew open. _Harry. _She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision, and couldn't help but letting out a smile when she saw who was in front of her.

Harry slept beside her, eyes firmly shut. His mouth was slightly parted as breath went in and out, lightly tickling Ginny's cheek. His glasses had been removed, and his hair was in complete disarray. His face looked much calmer than he had earlier, and much more open than he the hardened Auror he had been.

One of his hands was draped lightly across Ginny's waist. She couldn't help the way her heart beat as she looked at him; so perfect, even in sleep. She realized just how much she had missed him all of these years.

Not wanting to disturb him, she let her eyes slide shut again, and soon she had fallen back asleep.

* * *

Ginny rolled over again, putting her hand out to lightly touch Harry's arm.

Then she sat up, staring at the empty space next to her.

He was gone. Harry was gone. He wouldn't have just left, would he? He couldn't have! Unless something really bad had happened, or he had been kidnapped, or… he had never really been here.

Ginny felt herself deflate. It had just been a dream. An extremely good one, at that. She felt unwilling tears prick at her eyes. She couldn't believe it. It had all been so realistic, so perfect. Too perfect, perhaps. Maybe that's what had gone wrong.

She climbed heavily out of bed, crossing the room to look out the window. It was still early out, and only one jogger was outside yet, fighting the morning fog to get a workout in. Ginny wrapped her arms around her torso, trying hard to pull herself back together. She should know by now that Harry was not going to come back.

Suddenly, a door opened behind her. Ginny whirled around with wide eyes to see a man emerge from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair wet. Harry walked out, just replacing his glasses on his nose. He caught sight of Ginny and went red.

"I thought you were still sleeping," he said in a sheepish voice.

Ginny couldn't respond. She felt giddiness rise up in her- Harry hadn't left! He wasn't a dream, and he had… oh dear Merlin, he had slept in the same bed with her. And he was only wearing a towel…

Ginny felt a blush spread across her cheeks too, and focused on keeping her eyes on his face. "I just woke up," she said awkwardly.

Harry snatched at his robes, digging in the pockets and pulling out a small trunk. Then he glanced at Ginny one more time. "I'll be right back," he muttered, disappearing into the bathroom.

As soon as he had gone, Ginny made a break for the living room. Her cheeks still felt as if they were burning. Merlin, that had been embarrassing. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands, pulling her fingers through her red hair.

After a minute the door from the bedroom opened and Harry walked out, thankfully fully dressed. He was wearing Muggle clothes, black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. Ginny gulped, but gave him a small smile.

"What now?" she asked.

"Now," said Harry, going to peek out the window, "we go pick up Ron and Hermione, and talk to your family. They are in danger, all of them, and we have to let them know."

"Okay," said Ginny, "so we Floo-"

"No Flooing," said Harry sharply.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"These wizards," said Harry. "We know nothing about them, except for the fact that they know much more than they did last time. We believe that they have found a way to track Floo networks, and perhaps even Apparition."

"Apparition?" asked Ginny in disbelief. "No one can track that!"

"We're not sure if they can yet," said Harry, "but it's best to be safe, especially when it's you we're risking."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny, crossing her arms irritably.

"It means I'm not going to risk your safety by trusting those forms of transportation," said Harry simply. "The Burrow is only about four to five hours from here. We'll drive."

"Drive?" asked Ginny warily.

"I know how to drive," said Harry, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. "We'll be perfectly safe."

"Right," said Ginny. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now," said Harry.

"Now?" asked Ginny in disbelief. "But- I have to pack, I'm in the middle of the semester-"

"I've worked it out," said Harry. "You're taking a break from schooling."

"What did you do?" asked Ginny suspiciously.

Harry waved his hand. "No need to worry. As for packing, you only need to take the necessities. A few changes of clothes, really. We're just driving to the Burrow."

"But- what car can we take?" asked Ginny.

"I have one," said Harry.

"But-" Ginny started.

"No, Ginny. I have it all worked out. Now, grab a piece of toast and get packed up. We're leaving in fifteen minutes."

Ginny glared at him, then turned and marched into her room. "Thinks he can boss me around," she muttered, yanking an old backpack out of her closet. "I'll show him." She started throwing clothes into the backpack wildly, not really having the patience to fold them. She irritably zipped it up, depositing it at the foot of her bed.

She turned to the trunk that she had left pushed into a corner and grabbed her wand, quickly shrinking it. Taking a leaf out of Harry's book and shoving it in her pocket, she grabbed the strap of her backpack and walked back out into the living room.

"Done," she said. Harry looked up from the newspaper he had picked up.

"Are you going to eat breakfast?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Not hungry," she said.

"Okay," said Harry, putting the newspaper back. "Let's go."

"Wait," said Ginny, remembering something. "I have to call my friend."

"Can't this wait?" Harry asked, exasperated.

"No," snapped Ginny. "She'll find it suspicious if I just disappear off the face of the Earth. Let me call her and tell her I'm going back to visit my family or something."

"Fine," Harry snapped back. "Make it quick."

Ginny glared at him and marched into the kitchen, picking up the phone. She dialed the familiar number, then waited as it rang.

There was a click at the other end of the line. "Hello?" asked a sleepy voice.

"Rachel? It's me, Ginny," Ginny said.

Rachel immediately perked up. "Hey Gin!" she said excitedly. "Oh my god, Gin, you won't believe what happened last night! I can't believe it! Oh, it's just so, so amazing, I was going to call you, but we got back so late, and I didn't want to wake you up, but I wanted to so badly, and then-"

"He proposed, didn't he?" asked Ginny, smiling broadly.

"Yes!" squealed Rachel. "Oh, Ginny, he proposed! I'm getting married, Gin! I can't believe it, it's so amazing, oh, you have to be my Maid of Honor, the wedding's going to be in a few months-"

Ginny felt her heart sink, and cleared her throat. "Rachel, there's something I have to tell you," she said quietly.

Rachel went quiet, hearing Ginny's tone. "What?" she asked, confused as to why her friend wasn't more excited.

"I'm leaving," said Ginny bluntly, not beating around the bush. "I have to go back and visit my family. We're having some… problems."

"Oh no!" said Rachel. "What's wrong?"

"It's complicated," said Ginny. "But, the thing is, I'm not going to see you for… for a long time, Rachel."

"But… why?" asked Rachel. "How long?"

"Maybe a few months," said Ginny heavily. "And, like I said, it's complicated."

"But… but school!" said Rachel, stunned. "And, and the wedding!"

"I know, Rachel," said Ginny. "And I am so sorry. I wish I didn't have to go, and I am so happy for you."

"But you're coming to the wedding, right?"

Ginny was silent.

"Ginny? You're… you're not coming?" Rachel sounded heartbroken.

"I'll try," Ginny promised. "I swear, I will try as hard as I can. I really wish I didn't have to go, Rachel, you have no idea what position I'm in."

"Then tell me," Rachel said bravely. "Tell me what's so important you're just going to drop everything and run away."

"I can't," said Ginny desperately. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me!" Rachel said.

"Look… my family's in danger," Ginny said awkwardly, side-stepping the truth. "I'm in danger. I need to get out of here and lie low for a while. I'll try to make it back for the wedding, Rach."

"If you're in danger, I want to help!" Rachel said without hesitation.

"There isn't anything you can do," said Ginny sadly. "I'm sorry. Tell Luke that I am so happy for you both. You're perfect for each other."

Ginny heard a cough behind her and glanced back to see Harry standing there, impatiently tapping his foot. "I am almost done," Ginny snapped at him.

"What?"

"Not you, Rachel," said Ginny quickly.

"Who are you talking to?" Rachel asked.

"I- um-"

"Ginny," Rachel said in a warning voice.

"Harry," Ginny muttered.

Rachel let out a small shriek. "_Harry? The _Harry? The one that you dated when you were sixteen, and you haven't seen in years?"

"Yes," said Ginny. "He came back last night, and he's very impatient. We need to get going."

"Ginny, you can't just leave!" Rachel said stubbornly.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I'll call you when I get the chance. Goodbye, Rachel, and congratulations. You and Luke are going to be so happy together."

"Ginny, wait-" Rachel said, but Ginny hung up. She shut her eyes, feeling horrible. Rachel had done so much for her, always been there, and all Ginny had ever done was lie to her. She felt horrible.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine," Ginny said sharply. "Come on, we have to get out of here before Rachel shows up at my door."

She grabbed her backpack and opened the door. Harry walked out, and Ginny cast one more glance around the rooms she had lived in for the past few years.

_I'll be back, _she thought. _I'll see Rachel again, I will watch her get married. I promise. And if any dark wizards get in my way… Well, they're not going to last very long. That I can promise._

And she turned around and walked out, following Harry outside to where his car sat, ready to take them to the Burrow.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the slow update! My life has been a bit hectic right now, and I haven't had much time to write. Things should start speeding up after this! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me! Please continue to do so, as it encourages me to write even faster.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Harry's car turned out to be a silver minivan parked in the college parking lot. Ginny turned to him, raising an eyebrow at his choice in automobile.

"I'm borrowing it," he muttered, pulling the keys from his pocket. "Get in."

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked around to the passenger's side, pulling open the door and slipping in. Inside had that leathery, new car smell. The seats were upholstered with black leather, and the dashboard was equipped with a GPS and generous cup holders. Ginny grabbed the seat belt and locked it as Harry hopped into the driver's seat and put the keys in.

The engine came to life, setting the entire car humming. Harry glanced into the mirror, pulling out of the parking lot and turning onto the street.

Neither of them spoke for the first half an hour. Harry's eyes never left the road, his hands expertly twirling the wheel and maneuvering through busy streets and traffic. Ginny, however, found her eyes straying very often over to him, wishing that he would just say something. She didn't like the tense, awkward cloud that was hanging over them.

"How much further?" she suddenly asked.

Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Well," he said, "the Burrow is about five hours from the college. We've been driving for half an hour, so about four and a half hours left."

"Oh." Ginny jiggled her leg a bit, glancing around for another topic to bring up. "So, uh, you said you borrowed the car. From who?"

"One of my partners," Harry said. "He's taking a vacation, and wasn't going to be using it for a couple of weeks, so he let me borrow it."

"Tell me more about your work," Ginny blurted out. At the look Harry gave her, she elaborated. "You disappeared six years ago, and apparently you've had a job almost the entire time. I know it's a big secret, but at least tell me a little bit." She leaned back into the upholstery, crossing her arms.

Harry's jaw clenched momentarily. He didn't speak for a moment, instead focusing on twiddling the wheel to turn onto a side street. He seemed to know his bearings very well, taking shortcuts and cutting through the city. "You're right," he said. "I can't tell you much. But I'll tell you what I can." He paused again, pulling to a stop at a traffic light. "When Kingsley offered me the job, I didn't want to take it. I wasn't ready to head back into the business of fighting dark wizards. But he… er, convinced me." The traffic light turned green, and Harry pulled forward again.

"It turned out to be a good thing I took the job. I pulled myself back together and spent my time bringing justice to the wizard world. At first, he refused to give me any good missions. Claimed I was too young. Then, his star auror went down in a mission, and I had to step in." Harry grinned. "I showed him that I could handle it, and ever since then he's been giving me the missions others couldn't handle. Kingsley kept me updated on everything that was happening with you and everyone else, in case I ever needed to step back in and help."

Ginny was quiet, her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth to say something, but Harry continued his story.

"I wanted to come back and see you," he said in an even voice. "After two years of being in the business, I was ready. But at the same time, I knew I couldn't."

"What do you mean?" Ginny interrupted. "Of course you could have! We've been waiting for you to come back!"

"I knew what was going on in your lives," he said. "Ron and Hermione had moved in together. Bill and Fleur were having a child. George was dating again. Your parents were getting ready to have a grandchild, setting up spare rooms and all that. And you had applied to a Muggle college and were already in the middle of your studies." He paused to chuckle. "You have no idea how surprised I was when I heard that. Ginny Weasley, going to college. It certainly reminded me that you weren't a little girl anymore." The laughter died from his throat. "I knew then that I couldn't just waltz back into your lives. My sudden appearance would just bring confusion and sadness, everything you had just pushed through. You had all moved on without me. I wasn't part of your lives anymore. So, I stayed away. Watched from a distance. I was there at Ron and Hermione's wedding, you know."

Ginny clearly remembered the wedding, more than a year ago. It had been outside, in a large, beautiful park in the middle of spring. The two had pushed it off as long as possible, hoping Harry would return soon, but as it looked more and more likely that he never would, they had finally done it. There had been a lot of tears shed that day over the missing boy, but it had been a happy occasion in the end. Never would Ginny have imagined that Harry had actually been there.

"How?" she asked.

"Under the invisibility cloak," Harry said. "Kingsley let me take a day off. I… well, I almost approached you. But you got swept away in the crowd, and I remembered my reasons for not coming back."

Ginny couldn't decide whether she wanted to laugh, cry, or scream at Harry. He sounded absolutely ridiculous. How could he have even imagined that she had moved on from him? The entire family hadn't. "You're an idiot," she said.

Whatever reply Harry was expecting, it hadn't been that. He looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You're an idiot," Ginny repeated. "We've been waiting for you to come back for years, and now you're saying it's because you thought we'd moved on? We didn't, Harry! Mum still cries over you, every Christmas and Easter and all those holidays. Ron hasn't made any good friends since you disappeared. He doesn't want to get close to anyone like that again, since you left. Hermione is always thinking of new places you might be, but can't find you anywhere. She had a right fit on her wedding day when you weren't there, that really hurt her, you know. Your birthday is like the anniversary of your _death, _it's horrible! No one has moved on, Harry! You were a right git running away like that!"

Ginny swallowed heavily. She was glad that she had gotten that off her chest. There was a part of her that would never fully forgive Harry for everything he had put her and her family through, and that part was furious with him. She wanted him to really understand what he had done, to know the hurt that he had put everyone through.

Harry didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the road in front of him like he was deep in focus, but his tensed shoulders told her otherwise. She knew that her speech had hit him hard, but she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry right now.

Ginny waited. Harry didn't look at her. She felt as though this were a game, and neither of them wanted to break the silence and lose.

After a few minutes of silence, Ginny let out a huff and sat back against the seat, crossing her arms tightly and turning her head away from Harry. She glared at the passing scenery outside, refusing to speak anymore. She felt like she had gone back to her teenage years, and she was pouting because her mom hadn't bought her the pair of shoes she wanted.

Outside, the suburbs were slowly falling away. Long stretches of bare land and trees flew past on either side, so fast they blurred. Very few people were out today. Children threw a ball around in a yard, teenagers walked hand in hand, blushing furiously, and adults milled around, speaking to each other and doing the garden work.

Inside the car, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Ginny refused to look at Harry anymore. If he wasn't going to talk to her, she wasn't going to bother trying to make a conversation with him.

She leaned her head back, letting her eyelids droop. Why did everything have to be so _confusing_? Sometimes Ginny's life just sucked.

Soon, she was fast asleep.

* * *

"Ginny, wake up."

Ginny groaned and pulled away from the hand on her shoulder. Why couldn't she just sleep? She was exhausted.

"Ginny, wake _up._"

With a noise of protest, Ginny flipped over, her eyes fluttering open against her will as she was pulled back into consciousness. Harry was sitting next to her in the driver's seat, shaking her awake.

"Come on, we're going to get something to eat."

Ginny yawned, sitting up. She blinked sleepily, looking at Harry for explanation.

"You fell asleep about two hours ago," Harry said. "We have another two hours to go. You didn't have any breakfast, so I thought you might be hungry. I stopped at a diner."

Ginny wanted to say that she wasn't hungry at all, thank you very much, but a loud growling from her stomach betrayed her. A slight smile played on Harry's face.

"Come on, get out," he said, opening the door and sliding out.

Ginny pushed on the handle and the door swung open easily. A blast of cold air hit her, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. She jumped out of the car and onto the dirt floor, rocks crunching beneath her feet. A freezing wind hit her, sending her hair flying and tugging at her clothes. She shut her eyes against its cold bite, trying to stop her eyes from watering.

She heard another crunch as Harry joined her. She immediately turned to complain to him. "It's cold," she said grumpily.

"Good observation," Harry muttered. "Should have let you sleep. You were much more pleasant not talking." He started on the march to the diner, leaving Ginny staring after him with her mouth open.

"I- you- Harry Potter, don't you walk away from me!" she stomped after him, glaring.

The diner was small, made of a light brown wood with many knots and scratches. A few windows were placed haphazardly on the different walls. A drooping flower sat in one of them, looking as though it hadn't been watered in a couple of years. Hanging above the door was a sign that read, 'Diner'. It swung on its hinges in the brisk wind.

Harry pushed on the door and it flew open. A bell rang somewhere above their heads as they stepped in, thankful for the reprieve from the wind. It was dim inside, and looked about the same as the outside.

A girl in an apron came bustling over to them, carrying menus. She was young, with light brown hair and a nose ring. She looked vaguely surprised to have customers. "Table for two?" she asked airily.

"Next to the window, please," Harry said.

The girl shrugged and led them to a booth table in the corner, next to a window. She weaved her way in between the tables, setting their menus down on the table. When they had slid into their seats, she pulled out a notepad. "Drinks?" she asked, glancing at Ginny.

"Um- Iced Tea," she said.

"Just water," Harry ordered.

The girl flipped her little book shut and walked away, swinging her hair over her shoulder.

Ginny grabbed a menu and flipped it open. "Wanted to check out the nice view?" she asked Harry, glancing out the window. The diner was in the middle of nowhere. There was one house to the right, but other than that the only thing around was trees.

"I wanted to make sure that no one followed us," Harry muttered, looking out the window for an entirely different reason than Ginny. When he had been assured that no one had pulled up behind him, he scanned the restaurant. It was deserted except for two men at the bar, talking loudly and drinking their beer. "Let's just eat and get out of here," he said, reaching for the other menu.

Ginny scanned the limited choices. Nothing special- salads, sandwiches, soups. That was pretty much it, except for this one thing labeled 'Four Meat Surprise' which she had absolutely no interest in sampling.

Soon the waitress had returned, setting down their drinks in front of them. She poised her pen above her notepad again, looking bored. "Food?" she asked.

"Turkey sandwich," Ginny said, picking the first thing on the menu. The waitress scribbled something down before turning to Harry.

"You?"

"Er- Soup of the Day," he said, sounding as if he had just decided. Ginny got the feeling that instead of actually looking at the menu, he had been scanning the diner for potential enemies. The thought made her roll her eyes.

The waitress snatched the menus from them and flounced away, back into the kitchen. The two men at the bar whistled as she passed by them, and she shot them a disgusted glare before retreating behind the door.

Harry stared at the men, his eyes narrowing. Ginny followed his gaze before turning back to frown at the dark-haired man. "Stop doing that," she muttered.

Harry's eyes snapped back to her. "What am I doing?"

"Making it seem like we're going to be attacked," Ginny accused. "You're giving those guys the evil eye."

"Something doesn't feel right," Harry muttered.

"They're pigs, but that doesn't mean they're evil," Ginny reasoned. "Relax, Harry."

"I don't relax," she thought she heard him mumble.

Ginny sighed, looking down to scratch at the brown paint on the table. It came off in flakes, clinging to her fingernail. "You're different," she said.

"You are too," Harry retorted.

Ginny glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the one who's gone all spy dude," she snapped at him, brushing the pieces of dried paint to the floor.

Harry looked vaguely amused. "Spy dude?" he asked.

"Yes!" Ginny hissed. "You- you're just- infuriating!"

"Like you're a pocketful of sunshine," Harry shot back.

Ginny let out a muffled scream, putting her head in her hands. "Were you always this annoying?" she sighed.

"I don't know," Harry said conversationally. "Was I?"

"Stop answering my question with your question. It's annoying."

"Everything about me annoys you."

"Yes, it does," Ginny said.

She looked up to find him looking at her with barely-concealed humor. His green eyes sparkled with humor. She glared at him, staring right into his eyes with anger.

And suddenly, the anger disappeared. It was as if she were trapped in his gaze, unable to look away from the brilliant green. The humor died from his eyes, a new emotion emerging instead, something Ginny couldn't quite place. Harry's eyes were locked with her own, as if he too was unable to look at anything other than her eyes. There was nothing except for the dazzling green on the deep brown, nothing to disrupt him. Very slowly, Ginny began leaning forward, closer to Harry, and he began to do the same. They were bending across the table, faces getting closer and closer, until suddenly-

"Here's your food."

They both jumped as the waitress stuck the plates in between them with a clatter. She gave them both an amused look before turning around and walking away.

Harry cleared his throat, leaning back into his seat and picking up his spoon as if nothing had happened. Ginny looked down at her plate, suddenly finding her sandwich very interesting.

What had just happened? Had they been about to… _no, _Ginny thought. They couldn't have been. She didn't even know if he still liked her. Of course he hadn't been about to kiss her, she was being silly. They had both just gotten caught up in the moment.

But if that moment hadn't been interrupted by the waitress, how far would it have gone?

She felt a wave of anger towards the waitress.

Harry had already started on his soup. Ginny grabbed her untouched iced tea and took a sip, trying to soothe her suddenly dry throat. As soon as the liquid touched her lips, she recoiled. "Oh, yuck."

"Not good?" Harry asked, glancing up.

"It's sweetened," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. "It's all sweet and lemony and… gross."

Harry shook his head, reaching out to take it. "Have my water," he said.

"No, I'm fine," Ginny said immediately. She didn't want to take his drink.

"It's fine," Harry laughed. "I'm okay with sweetened iced tea, and I haven't touched the water yet. Go on, have it."

Sheepishly, Ginny grabbed the glass and took a sip. The water was a relief, fresh and crisp. It cooled her parched throat and took away the taste of the iced tea.

They ate their meal in silence, dozens of unspoken things between them. Neither brought up what had just happened, and neither was going to bring it up. They made an unspoken agreement to never mention it again.

Ginny wolfed down her sandwich, starving as she was. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Not the best sandwich that she'd ever had, but edible in the very least. Harry finished his soup before she had taken the last bite, setting his spoon down.

"Good?" she asked, gesturing to the empty bowl.

"Tasted like dishwater seasoned with herbs," Harry said casually. "But it was something."

Ginny smiled, finishing off her sandwich with a flourish. She wiped the crumbs off on her jeans, beyond caring about manners at the moment. Harry checked his wristwatch. "We should get going," he said.

"Hold on, I need to go to the bathroom," Ginny said, standing up. Harry stood up with her, and she gave him a look. "And you can_not _come with me," she snapped. "You're going to wait here. I can handle myself for one pee."

Harry looked like he was going to protest, but Ginny just turned around, cutting off whatever he was going to say. There was a sign hanging over an open doorway by the kitchen that read 'Restrooms'. Ginny made her way towards it, disgusted as she passed by the two men. They eyed her with grins on their faces, but she ignored them and escaped into the women's restroom.

Ginny did her business as quickly as she could, figuring Harry would have a fit if she took longer than a few minutes. Seriously, that guy was _way _too protective. She'd have to talk to him about lightening up.

She dried her hands and dropped the paper towel into the wastebasket as she exited. Across the diner, Harry was peering out the window intently, not looking up even as Ginny emerged from the restroom. She felt a frown cross her face and took a step out.

Something grabbed her arm tightly. She turned her head to see one of the men from the bar grabbing her arm, smirking at her. She tried to tug out of his hold, but his hand was like an iron grip.

"Come on, darling," he leered at her, alcohol on his breath. "Have a drink with us."

"No, thank you," she said tightly, trying to walk away. He jerked her arm roughly and, with a gasp of pain, she stumbled back into him. She immediately tried to push away, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer, grinning at his partner.

"Told ya I could get her," he said proudly.

The other guy chuckled. "You told me, Bob. Now set her in my lap."

"Alright, Deuce," Bob said. He lifted her up as if she weighed nothing. Ginny kicked out, but it was useless. He slammed her down into Deuce's lap, and the pig wrapped his arms tightly around her. She immediately started squirming, kicking wildly to get out.

"Let- go- of- me-" she hissed out, panting with the effort of trying to escape. Deuce just tightened his grip, leaning in close to her ear.

"Have a drink first, girlie," he said, playing with a lock of her hair.

Ginny jerked her head away, turning as far as she could. "HAR-"

Deuce clamped a hand over her mouth. "Don't summon your little boyfriend, girlie!" he said, his eyes flashing. "Let's get to know each other, first."

Ginny kicked Bob in the shin. The man let out a cry of pain, clutching his leg. "Ow!" he whined. "That hurt!"

Deuce put a hand on Ginny's legs to stop her from kicking. "Stop- squirmin'," he said, a hand still around her mouth.

She felt her heartbeat quickening as the man tightened his grip, leaning down towards her. She lashed out even more violently then before, but it was no use. The man was totally drunk, but he was extremely strong, and she couldn't break out of his grip. She felt caged. Deuce was advancing towards her lips, sliding his hand off just enough to meet them.

Their lips had just touched when Deuce was yanked away forcefully, wrenching their lips apart. Ginny slid off the stool and collapsed to the ground, panting.

Harry had pulled Deuce away and given him a swift punch. The man had collapsed to the ground, unconscious, next to Bob, who had already been taken care of. Harry delivered another kick to the man's head, looking absolutely furious. His eyes were flashing with anger as he glared down at the two men.

Ginny heard her breath coming out in sharp gasps. She wiped her mouth furiously on her sleeve, but she couldn't erase the feel and taste of the man's lips. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and tried to push them away. She was being childish. But she had been so _scared…_

Harry looked over at her, and all the anger seemed to flood out of him. His eyes widened, and he dropped to his knees next to her. He reached out and pulled her into a hug, and she stiffened slightly before collapsing.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly as she cried. "I am so sorry. I should have gotten here faster. I'm so sorry." He repeated the words over and over again as he held her, rocking her back and forth. Slowly, her breath began to slow down, and the tears stopped falling so fast.

"I'm alright," she said thickly, her voice muffled against Harry's chest. She pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I'm alright," she repeated, as if trying to convince herself as well as Harry.

Harry helped her to her feet. She stood, wobbling slightly, and he wrapped a secure arm around her waist. His touch felt much better then Deuce's. It was gentler, more… loving.

Harry tossed a few bills on the counter, sidestepping the two unconscious men. He looked like he wanted to beat them up some more, judging by the looks he was shooting them, but also wanted to get Ginny out quickly. And for that, Ginny was grateful.

She tried to slow her breathing back to normal as they stepped out of the diner. The cold wind slapped them, and for some reason she felt like she was going to cry again. They started walking.

"Harry," Ginny said hoarsely.

Harry was walking quickly, pulling her along towards the car. He slowed down to look at her. "Yes?" he said softly.

Ginny swallowed, trying to push down the tears. "Thanks," she whispered.

Harry stopped, turning to face her. He gazed down at her, one arm still on her waist. He reached up with his free hand to push away a lock of red hair that was blowing in her eyes. "You have nothing to thank me for," he said in a quiet voice. "I blame myself. I should have been paying more attention. I didn't hear you until it was almost too late. I thought… I thought I saw..." His gaze flickered out to the surrounding area, but he turned back to meet Ginny's eyes almost immediately. "I will do anything to protect you," he said even quieter still.

Ginny felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked up at him. She opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish out of water, trying to find the right thing to say. Then, she launched herself at Harry, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I'm so glad you're back," she whispered.

Harry returned the hug, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere," he responded. He pulled back, smiling at her and wiping away a stray tear from her face with his thumb. "Now, come on. We need to get to the Burrow."

* * *

**A/N: oaigjeorijaefjidasfadfjasdgl adgijdafbfdbg. The ****_feeeels. _****I love them so much, it's crazy! *sigh***

**Sorry for the wait, everyone. Christmas got hectic. This chapter was really fun to write, and I hope it was fun to read! I like the developing relationship between Ginny and Harry, myself ; D**

**Thanks so much for all the great reviews and everything! It means a lot, so please continue to do so!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Review**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ginny climbed back into her seat, feeling herself relax once she felt the cool leather beneath her. Leaving those… _men _behind was all she wanted to do right now. She felt safety settle in when Harry slid in next to her and shut the door tightly. But there was a sort of dangerous tension filling the car, something that hadn't been there before.

Harry tried to act like nothing was wrong, but Ginny could tell something was up. His eyes scanned their surroundings as he slowly pulled his seatbelt across and clipped it into the lock, his eyes narrowed as he gazed out the window at the wildlife.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, confused.

Harry didn't respond, but leaned in closer to the window as if he wanted to look at something closer, the frown lines on his forehead growing deeper.

"Harry?" Ginny said again, reaching out to touch Harry's arm lightly. "Harry, is something wrong?"

"No," Harry muttered finally, sitting back into the seat and eyeing something out the window suspiciously. "I just-" he seemed to catch something out of the corner of his eye, snapping his head to the window again so fast Ginny was surprised his neck didn't break. A jolt of fear pierced Ginny's heart at Harry's actions.

"Harry?" she asked in alarm. "What is it?"

"We need to get out of here," Harry said sharply. He shoved the key violently into the ignition and turned it quickly, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. The tires squealed as the minivan swung around and shot out of the diner parking lot. They came out onto the road and roared off, far exceeding the speed limit. Ginny clutched at the arms of her chair, her eyes wide as they sped like a racecar, the scenery around them flashing by too fast to make out.

"Harry!" she gasped. "What's wrong?"

"They found us," Harry said. "We need to get to the Burrow- fast."

"How far away are we?" Ginny asked, a horrible feeling settling into the pit of her stomach.

Harry gave her a dry smile. "One and a half hours- if we hurry," he said, pushing the car as fast as it would go.

"Merlin," Ginny muttered.

She turned around in her seat to look behind the car and felt her eyes go wide. Another car was behind them, a small red sports car with dark windows. It was about twenty-five feet behind and gaining every second. Ginny couldn't see through their tinted windshield, but at the speed they were going, it was obvious they were trying to catch up to them. Ginny now realized what Harry had been looking at out the diner's window. The dark wizards had found them.

"They're gaining," Harry muttered, checking in the mirror.

"We don't know that they're out to get us," Ginny pointed out hopefully, desperate.

She gasped in surprise as a jet of red light shot past their window from the other car.

"Okay, maybe they are," she conceded.

"Alright," Harry said in a low voice. "Here's the plan. I'm going to- Ginny!"

Ginny rolled down the window and grabbed her wand from the dashboard. She flicked her hair back to stop it from flying into her face and glanced at Harry. "Yeah?" she asked, raising her eyebrows coolly.

"Do not do what I think you're going to do," Harry hissed, trying to focus on the road and glare at Ginny at the same time.

Ginny sniffed pointedly and turned in her seat, her back to Harry. She leaned her head out and aimed her wand carefully, squinting to keep the wind out of her eyes. "Reducto!" she shouted.

A beam of bright blue light shot out of the end of her wand, flying straight towards the sports car. For one glorious moment, Ginny thought it was going to hit the car. Then, it swerved out of the way, missing the spell by inches.

"Ginny, get back in!" Harry shouted over the roar of the wind.

"No!" Ginny countered back. "Stupefy!"

She growled as the spell missed yet again. Harry was shouting something at her, but she tuned him out. "Re-"

Harry grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back in. Ginny watched with wide eyes as a ray of bright green light shot past her window, right where her head had been moments before. Wordlessly, she turned to Harry, who was still glaring at her, with wide eyes.

"Roll up the window," he snapped. Ginny obeyed quickly, shocked at how close she had come to the killing curse.

"That's what I was _trying _to tell you!" Harry exclaimed. "This isn't school anymore, Ginny. Whoever these people are, they're aiming to kill, and their targets are you and me. So for Merlin's sake, just listen to me!"

"Maybe if you would stop yelling at me!" Ginny said, glaring at him.

"I'm not yelling!" Harry yelled at her.

"Just drive," Ginny snapped.

Harry let out a noise of frustration, but returned his attention to the road in front of him. "Impossible," he muttered. Ginny decided to ignore him.

Behind them, the car was gaining, no less than ten feet away now. Curses flew out at them every once in a while, and Harry was forced to swerve in order to avoid them. _Hopefully there's no policemen around here, _Ginny thought before pushing the thought out of her mind.

"Harry, they're going to catch us!" Ginny said.

"No, they aren't," Harry hissed. "Just relax."

"How on earth am I supposed to relax when- Harry!"

A spell flew past Ginny's window and hit the side mirror. It exploded into fragments of plastic and glass, hitting the window and bouncing off back into the road. Ginny ducked to the side as the window sprouted several cracks, but luckily didn't crack.

"Still think I can relax?" Ginny said mockingly.

There was a sharp turn in the road thirty feet ahead. A concrete wall lined its edges, separating the wildlife from the road. A bright orange sign flashed by them: _Slow Down Upon Approaching Turn._

"Harry," Ginny said warningly.

Harry showed no sign of stopping.

"Harry, we can't make that!" Ginny said, raising her voice to be heard. "What are you-"

Another jet of blue light hit their back tire, and it burst a hole, deflating instantly. Ginny let out a small shriek as the car swerved, threatening to collide with the trees on the side of the road.

"Harry!" she shouted. "We're going to crash! You have to stop the car!"

"Just a few more feet," Harry muttered to himself, checking the sports car's progress in his mirror. Very slowly, he eased his foot off the gas pedal.

The minivan slowed down. Behind them, the red car started gaining at an alarming rate, not slowing down in the slightest. The turn in the road was almost upon them.

Harry yanked the steering wheel at the last second, and the car spun sharply, its remaining tires screeching shrilly. The side of the car barely missed the concrete divider; Harry's side mirror was ripped off.

The sports car had no chance. It was going far too fast, with too little time to slow down. The tires screamed in protest as the driver slammed down on the brakes in a desperate attempt to avoid the impact, but it was no hope. The car slammed into the concrete.

There was a violent explosion. Fire shot out of the engine and pieces of metal flew in every direction, raining down. The bumper of the car hit their windshield, smashing through the driver's side and creating a huge hole in the windshield.

There was a gasp of pain from Harry and whatever control they had over the car disappeared. It spun in a complete circle before slamming into a tree.

The impact made Ginny fly forward. She banged her head against the dashboard despite her attempts to stop herself. Immediately, stars danced across her vision. The world around her spun and Ginny let out a groan of pain, blinking dizzily.

Pieces of broken glass rained down on her as what was remaining of the windshield shattered. Smoke billowed up from the destroyed engine, completely obscuring the tree that had stopped the car.

Ginny felt her eyes slip close as she slumped against the dashboard. She was confused, her head still spinning. She wanted nothing more than to succumb to the darkness that was dancing at the edge of her vision.

_I hope Harry's alright, _she thought distantly, starting to slip off into unconsciousness.

Her eyes flew open.

_Harry._

With great effort, she managed to sit up. She shifted her gaze to the driver's seat in alarm. Harry was lying there limp, hanging by his seatbelt. His glasses had cracked, and behind them his eyes were shut. The long car bumper blocked anything below his elbow from view; it was wedged deep into the seat.

_No, _Ginny thought, scrambling for the handle on the door. She pushed against it vainly, trying to get it to open. In her confused state, it took her a few tries, but she finally managed to shove the door open.

Ginny collapsed out of the car, landing on her hands and knees. She breathed in the air deeply, trying to stop the world around her from spinning. Feeling as if she was going to retch, she staggered to her feet.

Something warm was dripping down her temple and onto her cheek, and she absentmindedly wiped at it. She was surprised when her fingers came away dripping in red blood. _Her _blood.

She couldn't take it. The turkey sandwich she had had not half an hour ago came up violently. Ginny clutched her stomach as she retched, heaving out all of the contents of her stomach until there was nothing left.

Wiping her mouth shakily with the back of her hand, she set her sights again on reaching Harry. She stumbled around the back of the car rather than trying to force her way around the wreckage in the front, and made her way to the car door.

She tugged at the handle and the door popped open. She leaned inside, reaching for the man hanging there limply.

"Harry," she muttered, unclipping his seatbelt to get him out of the smoldering car.

She managed to catch him as he fell forward. Grunting with the effort, she dragged him out of the car and onto the ground, laying him down on his back. Her heart thumping even more frantically, she bent over his chest and pressed her ear desperately to where his heart should be.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

She felt relieve flood her, and actually laughed out loud in euphoria. He was alive. Injured, but alive. That was all that mattered at the moment; she could take care of everything else later.

Ginny grabbed his arm and heaved him to his feet, wanting to get at least a little bit away from the wreckage that had once been their car. She dragged him, trying to keep her eyes open a little while longer, off the road and into the surrounding trees. She tuned everything out, just trying to focus on not running into trees or dropping Harry. She went as far as she could, until the road had been hidden by the foliage.

She finally couldn't take it. Harry's arm slipped from her fingertips and he fell limply to the dirt. Ginny quickly followed him, collapsing where she stood.

Her eyesight dimmed and her eyelids slipped shut. She felt herself detach from the world as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ginny stirred slightly, trying to find a comfortable position. She felt horrible. Everything ached, especially her head. Something stick was covering her cheek, though Ginny had no idea what.

She frowned and twisted again. Of course, she had to lay right on a rock, just her luck.

Wait.

Rock?

She opened her eyes. The sky loomed above her, a brilliant blue dotted with fluffy white clouds swimming across it lazily. The sun hung low in the sky, a bright orb of light that forced Ginny to turn her head away. The wind blew softly, ruffling the grass under her fingertips.

Ginny slowly sat up, wincing slightly as her tight muscles moved. She blinked blearily, trying to remember where she was.

Catching something out of the corner of her eye, she turned to look to her side. Harry was lying there, eyes still shut tightly. A huge, deep purple bruise blossomed across his forehead, and his wrist was twisted in an odd position.

Ginny scrambled over to him, feeling a little bit more awake. She touched Harry's shoulder gingerly, not sure how badly he was hurt.

"Harry," she said softly. She gently shook him. "Harry, wake up."

The sleeping man didn't so much as stir. Ginny shook him a little bit harder.

"Harry, wake up."

Still nothing. Ginny felt a frown briefly cross her face. "Harry," she said, taking both of his shoulders and shaking them roughly. "Wake. Up."

His eyelids fluttered, revealing flashes of brilliant green. A low moan escaped his throat, his head lolling onto his shoulder.

"Harry?" Ginny asked quietly, ceasing her shaking.

Slowly, his eyes opened. For a second, he seemed dazed, confused, before he blinked and awareness came back to him. Ginny jumped back as he shot straight up.

"Ouch!" he hissed, wrapping an arm around his midsection and wincing.

"Idiot," Ginny muttered, grabbing his shoulder again. "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry seemed to notice her for the first time. He turned towards her, brow furrowed.

"The car crashed," Ginny explained before he could open his mouth. I dragged us away. I thought you…" Ginny stopped, clearing her throat as memories of Harry's body, hanging limp and lifeless, flashed back to her. "We were both hurt, and passed out," she finished lamely.

Harry frowned. "The other car?" he asked, his throat gravely.

"They-" Ginny stopped, her eyes wide. "Oh my gosh," she said. "They… they exploded, Harry, their car blew up and they were in it-" The horror of what had happened set in. At least one person had just been blown up trying to chase them. If that wasn't a reality check, Ginny didn't know what was.

"Don't think about it," Harry said firmly. He looked at her, and worry flashed in his eyes. "Merlin, what happened to your forehead?"

Confused, Ginny lifted a hand to touch it. The blood had dried, leaving patches of it on her cheek and forehead. "I don't know," she said, feeling around. "I- ow!"

She gasped in pain as she hit the source of the blood. A deep gash slashed across her hairline. When she touched it, it let out a sharp burst of pain.

Harry crawled forward, concern etched onto his face. He moved gingerly, as if everything hurt- which, Ginny guessed, it probably did.

"That doesn't look good," he winced, examining it. He touched it very gently, and Ginny flinched away. "Don't worry, I can-" Harry put his hand into his tattered pocket, then froze, his eyes shut.

"Your potions gone?" Ginny guessed.

Harry nodded.

"Fantastic," Ginny muttered. She scrambled back to her feet, wincing as she stretched out her legs. "Come on," she said, holding out her hand to help Harry up. "We need to get out of here."

Harry took her hand and she helped him stagger to his feet. Pain flashed across his face, and he wrapped an arm around his midsection.

"Harry?" Ginny asked suspiciously. "Are you hurt?"

"What?" Harry mumbled, glancing at her. "Oh, nothing really. Probably a bruise or something. I'll check on it later."

"What about your wrist?" Ginny accused.

Harry held it up, twisting it gingerly. "Sprained," he announced. "I'll wrap it in a bandage or something. Right now, let's just find somewhere to stay."

Wordlessly, Ginny walked to his side and slipped her hand into his. He took it, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance. "There'll be a house around here," he said confidently. "We're at the very outskirts of a town, I'm pretty sure. There has to be something."

So, they started walking. Harry moved gingerly, not moving his arms more than he had to. Ginny was suspicious, but decided to let it go for now. They would address all their injuries once they got to a hotel or something. They sure had their work cut out for them, with how beat up they were.

They didn't know how long they walked, but the sun was still steadily sinking. Tinges of pink and orange appeared in the sky, and still they had found nothing. Ginny's stomach growled periodically. She was starving, and she was sure Harry was too.

The sun was almost down when Harry squeezed her hand twice. "There," he mumbled, pointing straight in front of them. In the distance, yellow lights twinkled, marking a town of some sort.

Ginny felt relieved, and grinned slightly. "Good," she sighed. Her eyes were starting to grow heavy, this time from exhaustion than her head wound.

They quickened their pace, trying to reach refuge before night set in. Soon, Ginny was able to see the faint outline of buildings. Cold was starting to set in again, chilling the air around them. Soon, Ginny could see her breath in the air.

They were almost there when Ginny was alerted of Harry's labored breathing. He was slowing down ever so slightly, moving in a stiff manner. Ginny ground to a halt, and pulled him to a gentle stop.

"What?" Harry asked warily.

"Something's wrong," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong," Harry muttered. "Come on, we're almost there." He tried to start walking again, but Ginny ground her feet into the ground, refusing to move.

"Let me see it," she said, reaching for his shirt.

"No," Harry said, protesting weakly, but Ginny whacked his arm aside and touched his stomach lightly, trying to assess what damage she could. When she touched the cloth of his shirt, she found sections of it lightly coated in something wet.

"Harry," she gasped, stepping closer. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it up.

A jagged cut crossed his stomach, slowly dripping blood. The edges were starting to bruise a faint purplish blue. Ginny stared before turning accusing eyes toward Harry.

"Harry James Potter!" she snapped.

"Yeah?" Harry asked wearily.

"Why the hell didn't you show this to me?" she snarled at him, turning back to look at it. She gently touched it, and Harry winced.

"Didn't know it was that bad," Harry mumbled sheepishly.

Ginny groaned. "Harry, your stomach is split open," she said. "How on earth is that not bad?"

"Look," Harry said, his voice starting to sound slightly annoyed, "we are almost to the town. Let's just get there first, then you can yell at me all you want. I, for one, am absolutely exhausted and just want to get to a warm bed."

Ginny glared at him. "Fine," she said. "We'll find somewhere to stay the night, then I am going to fix that."

Harry rolled his eyes and they resumed their trek, picking their way through the grass. Ginny watched Harry carefully, eyes narrowing every time he winced.

"Stop staring," he growled at her. "I can walk on my own, you know."

"I'll stare if I want to," Ginny said in the same tone of voice. "You're hurt, and I would like to make sure you're okay. I care about you, alright? Sue me."

Harry's gaze softened ever so slightly, and he turned his eyes stubbornly ahead, not looking at her. Ginny frowned, wondering how many times someone had said they cared about him. Obviously not during his first eleven years of life, she had heard enough about the Dursleys to assume so. And judging by what he had been doing the past six years, no one had done it very often either.

With a sigh, Ginny grabbed his hand again, which she had dropped and refused to pick up since he had hidden his wound from her. She thought she saw a faint smile touch Harry's lips, but when she looked, his face was expressionless once again.

They finally made it to the edge of town. The buildings were very small and clustered together in no apparent pattern, but they were relieved to see buildings no matter how tiny they were. They shuffled slowly down the sidewalk. The street lights had been turned on as the sky grew darker, stars starting to appear in the sky overhead.

"There," Ginny said, nodding towards a slightly bigger building. A sign on the side proclaimed that it was an inn with plenty of vacancy.

Harry nodded, and they made their way over to it. Ginny pushed the door open and held it open for Harry, who shot a grateful look in her direction and walked in.

A bell tingled somewhere in the building as the door banged shut behind them. They were in a cozy-looking lobby with a fireplace and big, fluffy armchairs scattered around. At the front there was a desk with a computer and a keyboard set up.

A door opened, and a woman in her mid-fifties walked out. She turned to us and smiled brightly. "Welcome to Greenhome Inn, where- oh my, are you okay?"

She stared at them, a look of shock on her face. Ginny glanced at Harry. His hair was wild and full of twigs, he was covered in dirt, and coated in various injuries. Ginny expected that she looked no better, worse even with her blood stained face. No wonder the woman was shocked by their appearance.

"We'd like a room, please," Ginny said weakly.

The woman rushed over, her greying brown hair escaping from its bun. She stared at us with wide, concerned eyes. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"We were in a car accident," Harry said gruffly. The lady gasped.

"Oh, dear, I'll call the hospital right now-"

"No," Ginny said quickly. "That's okay. We're just a little beat up, is all. Do you have a vacant room that we can have?"

"Of course," the woman said, hurrying back to the desk. "My name is Nancy," she said, glancing at us concernedly out of the corner of her eye. "You can have room A2. I'll… I'll send up a first aid kit. Do you need my help?"

"That's alright," said Harry smoothly, taking the key.

"Alright," Nancy said, grabbing a pen. "Name, please?"

"Ryan and Patricia Brown," Harry said easily, not missing a beat. Ginny tried to look as though the thought of her being married to Harry was nothing new.

Nancy nodded, scribbling something down. "I'll show you to your room," she said, leading the way. They followed her down a short hall lined with wooden doors. She reached the one marked A2 and stepped aside.

"I'll bring up a first aid kit," Nancy said, nodding to us once before turning away.

Harry put the key into the lock, twisting it. There was a click and the door swung open, revealing a dark room.

Ginny walked in and flicked the light on. Overhead, a light bulb flickered on, illuminating the small room. One queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room. A TV was set into the wall off to the side, to the right of a small table set up with chairs. Another door led to a nice tiled bathroom with a sink and a bathtub.

Harry followed in after her and sank gratefully onto the bed. He pressed a hand to his chest lightly, gritting his teeth.

"Does it hurt?" Ginny asked, sitting down next to him.

"Not bad," Harry said.

Ginny shut her eyes for a moment. "Harry," she said in a low voice, "if we are going to be friends, you can't lie to me about this stuff. You may be a big bad Auror now, but I still know you well enough to know when you are in pain. And right now, you are. So just drop the act for one night and let me take care of you, alright? Because I am going to be doing that a lot now that you brought me back into your life, whether you like it or not."

Harry shot a sharp gaze at her. She countered back with a fiercer one, just daring him to deny her.

"Here's the first aid kit," a voice at the door said. Nancy poked her head into the room. In her arms was a huge metal box with 'First Aid' printed on it in Sharpie.

"Thanks," said Harry as she set it down on the bed next to them.

"Are you _sure _you don't want me to call the hospital?" Nancy asked uncertainly, eyeing us.

"We're sure," said Harry. "Although, if you could get a rental car for us to be here in the morning, that would be fantastic."

"Of course," Nancy nodded. She turned and hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Ginny turned to Harry. "Okay," she said. "Shirt off."

"We'll take care of you first," Harry protested.

"Don't even try it, Potter. Shirt off."

Grudgingly, Harry lifted his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. It was ruined beyond repair, as were the rest of their clothes. Ginny wondered what they would do in the morning, but then decided to worry about that later.

"It's not that bad," Ginny said bracingly, examining the wound again. "Er… I'll just clean the blood off first." She hoisted herself off the bed and crossed into the bathroom, where she searched for a washcloth.

Ginny wasn't good at healing. That had always been her mothers' area of expertise. She couldn't do a medical spell if her life depended on it, and frankly, blood and her didn't mix well. She had kind of gotten over that fear in the war, but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Aha," she muttered, grabbing a white washcloth from the rack. She tossed it into the sink and turned the water on, wetting it.

"Here," she said, walking back into the room. She held the washcloth gingerly in her hand and knelt down in front of Harry. She started off with just cleaning the area around the cut, trying to prolong the moment she would have to actually _heal _it. When his chest was entirely free of blood, she took a deep breath and shifted to the actual wound.

Harry gave a hiss of pain as she lightly touched the wet rag to it. His shoulders tensed as if he were trying to stop himself from flinching away from her.

"Sorry," Ginny muttered, continuing her cleaning. By the time she set the blood-soaked rag aside, she managed to get almost all of the blood out of the wound and was congratulating herself. But she hadn't finished yet.

"Let's see what's in this box," she said, pulling it down to the ground. She flicked open the two latches and lifted the heavy box, rifling through its contents.

"Wow," she muttered. "This is a lot of stuff." Piles of bandages, anti-disinfectant spray, pills to reduce fever, thermometers, and Neosporin were all piled inside. She even found a tube of anti-itch cream.

"This is going to sting," she said, lifting out the anti-disinfectant spray. She took the cap off and shook the bottle once before aiming the nozzle at the cut and squeezing.

"Ouch!" Harry yelped. Ginny winced. She had always hated that stuff.

"I'm done," she said, holding up her hands. She tossed the spray back into the box and dug through its contents.

"Just put something on it," Harry said tightly. "We'll do a better fix once we get to the Burrow tomorrow."

Ginny grabbed a tube of medicine and squeezed it onto the cut, coating it. Harry visibly relaxed as pain-reliever set in.

"Alright," Ginny said, grabbing a corner of one of the bandages. It trailed out, almost two feet long. "This is a lot of bandages," she said, starting to wrap Harry's chest up.

She kept her head down as she wrapped. When she was about halfway through she looked up to see how Harry was doing to find him staring at her. She met his eyes, a blush spreading across her face. Harry raised the edges of his mouth into a crooked grin and Ginny almost felt her heart stop. This was _his _smile. The smile that he had worn all throughout their school years, back when he was still just Harry. She hadn't seen it yet; any smiles that he had worn recently had been controlled and almost unnatural. Ginny hoped this meant that the real Harry was still buried under there somewhere, just hidden by his hard Auror-like features.

"Done," Ginny said softly, tucking the bandage in. Harry stopped staring at her to look down at his chest, stretching his arms out.

"Good job," he congratulated.

"Thanks," said Ginny. "Now, your wrist."

Harry waved her off. "I can fix that," he said, pulling out his wand. "It'll be a bit more painful without the potion, but this I can do." He tapped his wand on the broken wrist. There was a horrible _snap. _Ginny flinched, shutting her eyes so as not to see the repair. When she opened them again, Harry was moving his wrist around in the newly-repaired socket.

"Now you," he ordered.

Once her head had been tended to and all their little cuts and bumps examined, Ginny shut the box with a sigh. "Well that was fun," she said sarcastically. "Let's go to bed, I'm beat."

"Wait," Harry said as Ginny made to climb into the bed. She looked at him, confused. "Thanks, Ginny," he said softly. "I wouldn't be here without you."

Ginny sincerely hoped she wasn't blushing again. "And I wouldn't be here without your fancy driving," she said with a small laugh.

Harry grinned and leaned over to her. Ginny felt her breath stop, but he just pressed a light kiss to the section of her forehead that was un-bandaged. Then he sat back and let her climb into bed next to him.

Ginny yawned, her exhaustion hitting her all at once. She felt around until she grabbed Harry's hand, her eyelids drooping. "Night, Harry," she yawned.

"Goodnight, Ginny."

* * *

**A/N: Don't think I did very well with the whole car scene… but I don't know. I'm not that great at those types of things, unfortunately, but I wanted to try my hand at it.**

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I read every single one of them : ) Please continue to take the time and leave them!**

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Harry, wake up."

A light frown crossed his sleeping face, and he simply tightened his grip on Ginny's waist.

"Harry, it's almost ten. We need to get up," Ginny said. As much as she enjoyed the position they were currently in, she also dearly wanted to get back to the Burrow. The last family dinner had been weeks ago, and she had always loved seeing her nieces and nephews. Besides, she wanted to get Harry back. She knew just how much everyone had missed him, even if he was hesitant to accept it.

Harry yawned and pulled his hand back to rub his eyes. His glasses were lying on the bed stand next to him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to peer blearily at Ginny, still half-asleep. "Hi," he breathed out.

Ginny felt a small smile form on her face. "Hi," she said, pushing the covers back. "Come on, let's get going."

Harry let out another long yawn and shut his eyes again. "Later," he mumbled, sighing. "I'm gonna… sleep now…"

"Oh no you don't," Ginny said. She clapped her hands right by his ear. "Wake up!"

Harry jumped, his eyes shooting open. He sat up quickly, fumbling around for his glasses. When he finally managed to grab them and jam them onto his face, he was finally able to see the room- and Ginny, laughing her butt off.

"Ha-ha," Harry muttered, swinging his legs off the bed to stand up. "You're hilarious, you know that?"

"It's a gift," Ginny said, letting out an un-ladylike snort. "You should have seen your face, it was like the place was getting bombed or something."

"Just get up," Harry muttered, obviously annoyed at being humiliated by her. "It's getting late."

"Oh, you're telling _me _to get up," Ginny said sarcastically. "That's rich, _Sleeping Beauty._"

"I am not-"

Harry was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Shooting a sharp look at Ginny, who just smiled sweetly back at him, he went to answer the door.

Ginny wandered over, peering around him to see who was knocking. Nancy was standing there, greeting them with a bright smile. She was holding a large brown box that was stuffed with multi-colored pieces of clothing.

"Good morning!" she said brightly. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up; I've knocked three times already this morning."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ginny said, elbowing past Harry to face the woman. She smiled brightly at her. "My husband here is _such _a heavy sleeper; it took me ages to wake him up! And don't even get me started on his _snoring_-"

"That's enough, dear," said Harry tightly, rolling his eyes.

Nancy seemed to be trying to hold back laughter at their interaction. She settled for sending them another broad smile before looking them over. "Did you two get cleaned up alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh, yes," Ginny said. "Thanks for the first aid kit, it really helped."

"It was my pleasure," Nancy said, waving her off. "Although your clothes don't seem to be in the best shape."

Ginny glanced down at herself. She was still dressed in the clothes she had been wearing last night; the rest of her stuff had been destroyed in the car crash. Luckily, she, unlike Harry, had managed not to lose the shrunken trunk in her pocket- she had that, at least. The clothes, on the other hand, were wrecked. Her jeans were torn and covered in dirt, and her shirt was no better. Harry's clothes were, if anything, worse.

"I brought you these," Nancy continued, holding out the cardboard box. Harry took it, furrowing his eyebrows. "They're from the lost and found," she explained. "Whatever people leave behind ends up in there. I'm sure there's something in there that could fit you two."

"Thank you," Ginny said sincerely.

Nancy smiled gently at her. "Breakfast is served in the dining room until eleven," she said. "You're free to join us."

"We'll be down," Harry said. "Thank you."

Nancy nodded before turning and heading back down the carpeted hallway. Harry shut the door and turned to Ginny, holding the box. "Well," he said, "let's see what's in here."

* * *

Ten minutes later the two were having a pleasant breakfast in the dining room. They were both fully dressed- Ginny in a pair of baggy jeans and a red sweater, Harry in dark pants and a white t-shirt. They scarfed down a quick plate of eggs and bacon, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible.

"I'm done," Ginny said, setting her fork down. In truth, she couldn't eat any more. Her stomach was twisting with knots. She was worried about how her family would react to Harry returning. She knew that Ron had missed him dearly, but she also knew that his temper could be flared just as easily by the homecoming of his old best friend. And Hermione… well, Hermione would probably react similarly to how Ginny reacted.

That is to say, punching the prat in the face.

Harry put his own utensil down and stood up. His chair squeaked against the tiled floor. "Then let's get out of here," he said.

They walked back into the lobby, weaving their way through the empty tables. In fact, there was only one other inhabited table. An elderly couple sat in the corner, talking and munching on a bowl of porridge.

As they emerged into the well-lit lobby, something came to Ginny. "Harry," she whispered, touching his arm, "we don't have a car."

"I'll handle it," Harry said quietly, stepping up to the front desk.

Nancy turned around and smiled broadly at them. "Hello!" she said. "I see you found appropriate clothing; how was breakfast?"

"Excellent, thank you," Harry said politely. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a credit card, laying it flat on the desk.

"You're checking out already?" Nancy said, a frown crossing her face. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Harry assured her. "We need to be somewhere later today."

"Well… okay," Nancy said. But she pushed the credit card back over to him. "Please; it's free of charge."

"You don't have to do that," Ginny said quickly.

Nancy smiled at them. "I know," she said. "I want to. You two have had it rough; it's the least I could do." Then she bit her lip, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "You two don't have a car, do you?"

"No, but-" Ginny started.

"Let me call my friend," Nancy said, moving towards the telephone. "He works for a car rental service in the next town over. I can get one over here in twenty minutes."

"Thank you so much," Ginny said, completely grateful.

Nancy waved her off, dialing a number and holding the phone to her ear. "Hello, John? I was wondering if you could…"

Twenty-five minutes later, Nancy was standing out front, waving Harry and Ginny off. After thanking her profusely and promising to return and visit if they ever happened to come to the area again, she had bid them farewell and they were back on the road. Hopefully, no car chases would ensue on this neck of their journey…

"Goodbye!" Ginny called out the window, waving one last time. When the inn was out of view, she rolled up her window, sitting back with a sigh.

"What is it?" Harry asked, shooting her a sideways glance.

"It's just… refreshing," Ginny said.

Harry frowned. "What is?" he asked.

"Seeing some goodness in the world," Ginny explained. "I mean, nowadays hardly anyone would go that far to help a couple of strangers who showed up on their doorstep, claiming they were in a car accident. But Nancy was more than happy to give us her help for free. It was just… I don't know, refreshing."

Harry shook his head, a light smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "I know what you mean," he said quietly, almost to himself.

The next two hours passed relatively quickly. Ginny felt a lot more at ease around Harry then she had when they had first started their trip- was it really only just yesterday? It couldn't be. Too much had happened in only a day, it just wasn't possible. And yet, Ginny had experienced every minute of it.

Harry and her chatted about anything and everything. She complained loudly to him about the homework she was given in school, and then complained loudly when he started laughing at her. It felt nice to be around him, just as nice as it had felt when she had been sixteen; perhaps even more so. They had both matured a lot, and were now prepared to handle the feelings between the two of them… if Harry felt any feelings toward Ginny anymore, that is. She just couldn't tell with him anymore- one minute he was about to kiss her, the next he was completely exasperated with her. She wasn't sure what to think about him.

All she knew was that she definitely still felt something for him. She had spent the past six years aching for him, and now that she was back she realized just how much she depended on him. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, a weight she hadn't even realized was there until now. Harry was a part of her- he had always been, and he always would be. Ginny just felt so free around him, so herself. She had never felt this way with any other person, not even her brothers. But that could have been because all of them were exceedingly annoying…

Well, perhaps not Bill or Charlie. They had always looked after Ginny and made her laugh. But Fred and George had been an absolute _nightmare _to grow up with, and she had often woken up in the morning with blue hair thanks to those two.

As usual, she felt a sad pang shoot through her heart as she thought of Fred. She still missed him dearly. But whatever she felt, it was nothing to what George was feeling, even all these years later. He put on a big smile and joked around just as he had when he had been younger, but it had never been the same without his twin.

Lee Jordan had started helping him with Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, and the two now co-owned it. And lately, Ginny had the suspicions that George had a crush on someone, if his secretive attitude and the blush that spread across his cheeks whenever anyone teased him about marriage said anything about it.

"Ginny!"

"Huh?" Ginny asked, blinking.

"You kind of tuned out there for a while," Harry said in an amused voice. "What are you thinking about?"

"Fred," Ginny said quietly, not looking at Harry.

The car went silent. Ginny sneaked a glance over at the driver's seat to see Harry staring straight ahead, holding onto the steering wheel as if his life depended on it. His face was hard and closed. Ginny was afraid that she had said something wrong.

"Harry?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes?" he asked in a flat voice.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said in a soft voice. "I know it's hard for you-"

"I'm fine-"

"No you're not."

"Ginny-"

"Harry-"

"Just _drop it, _Ginny," Harry snapped.

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, frowning, then stopped. She turned away from Harry to look out the window at the passing scenery, resolutely ignoring the man sitting next to her. As much as she loathed admitting it, the words he had shot at her stung.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard Harry sigh. "Ginny, I'm sorry," he said heavily. "I'm just… not good with this type of stuff."

"What type of stuff?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned back to him.

Harry didn't respond. "We're almost there," he said in a quiet voice instead.

Ginny sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anything else out of him, and shot another glance out the window. They were fast approaching the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, and Ginny knew that soon they would arrive at the Burrow.

Five incredibly long, silent minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the Burrow. Ginny set her hand on the car handle, glancing behind at Harry. Then, she stopped, watching him.

He was staring at the Burrow with an odd, closed expression on his face. His emerald green eyes drank in every detail of the house he had practically grown up in, one he hadn't seen for nearly six years. Ginny couldn't so much see as feel his hesitation, his… fear. Harry was afraid of facing the people he had left behind all those years again.

Ginny reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her own. Harry tore his gaze away from the house to look at her, his eyes meeting hers. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Let's go," she said softly.

Harry took another glance at the house and seemed to steel his resolve. He gave a short nod, released her hand, and hopped out of the car without looking back at her.

Ginny pushed the door open and jumped out. Her feet touched down on the ground lightly, and she slammed the door behind her. Harry was waiting in front of the car for her. She joined him, taking his hand once again and giving it a squeeze before leading him up to the front door.

Not even bothering to knock, Ginny opened the door and poked her head in. There were voices coming from the kitchen, wafting through the empty house.

"Mom? Dad?" Ginny called loudly. "It's me, Ginny."

The voices stopped and there were a few other noises before Mrs. Weasley emerged. Her red hair was streaked with gray and her face was lined with wrinkles, but she still had the same warm brown eyes and welcoming smile. Her face lit up when she saw Ginny.

"Ginny, dear!" she said, walking forward to wrap her daughter in a hug. "What are you doing here? Dinner isn't until tomorrow!"

"I know, mum," Ginny said quietly, pulling back out of her mother's grasp. Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly as she took in the look on Ginny's face. "I… well, I brought someone."

Ginny stepped out of the way, revealing Harry still lingering in the doorway. He had his hands in his pockets and was watching Mrs. Weasley closely, a tight look on his face.

Mrs. Weasley let out a strangled choking sound, her eyes widening. The color drained from her face as she raised a shaking hand to her mouth, mouthing wordlessly and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost.

"H-Harry?" she finally choked out, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

Harry took a deep breath. "Hi Mrs. Weasley," he said quietly.

That was the breaking point. Mrs. Weasley let out strangled shriek, leaping forward and throwing herself at Harry. She wrapped him in a rib-breaking hug, burying her face in his chest. Harry hesitantly wrapped his arms around her too, returning the hug. He seemed to be struggling to breath, and shot a look at Ginny, who just smiled angelically at him.

"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Weasley sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Harry, where have you been, oh, _Harry, _do you have any idea how worried I've been…?"

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered.

Mrs. Weasley pulled back, looking up at him. He was now a good six or seven inches taller than her, short as she was, and she had to crane her neck to see his face. "You've grown so much," she said, giving him a watery smile.

Then, her smile dropped and she narrowed her eyes, anger suddenly clouding them.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

Harry winced. He had been expecting it, but he had forgotten how loud Mrs. Weasley's yells were.

"WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN? IT HAS BEEN _SIX _YEARS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU PUT ME THROUGH?! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR ALL I KNEW! OH, YOU HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER TO, YOUNG MAN. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD THAT IT WAS OKAY TO JUST RUN OFF AND NOT TELL ANYONE WHERE YOU WERE! IT WAS COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE OF YOU! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"I wasn't…" Harry muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's very obvious," Mrs. Weasley snapped at him. Then she sighed and wrapped him in another hug. "I missed you so much," she whispered.

There was a noise from behind them, and they all turned around to see Mr. Weasley fly into the room. He, like Mrs. Weasley, was getting on in his years. What was left of his hair was sprinkled with gray, and his face was wrinkled as well. He stared around with wide eyes.

"What's going on? I thought I heard…"

He trailed off as he caught sight of Harry. Mrs. Weasley released the green-eyed man but lingered close by, watching him. It seemed as if she was afraid he would run away again if she didn't watch his every move.

Mr. Weasley peered at Harry through his wired spectacles, his eyes a mask of confusion. Slowly, a smile started to creep onto his face.

"Harry?" he asked in complete disbelief.

Harry nodded slowly.

Letting out a laugh, Mr. Weasley strode forward and clasped Harry in a hug. Harry blinked once before hugging him back, surprise evident on his face.

"Come on, dear, let's sit down," Mrs. Weasley said once Harry had been released. She took his hand and dragged him into the living room.

Ginny trailed behind them, watching Harry closely. He seemed to be handling this extraordinarily well, despite all the yelling and crying his return had caused. And this was only two people. Ginny shuddered to think of how the rest of the family would react.

Mrs. Weasley sat Harry down on the sofa while Mr. Weasley took a seat in the armchair. Harry sat up straight, looking Mrs. Weasley in the eye while she looked down at him, her lips pursed.

Ginny quickly slid onto the sofa next to Harry, deciding to give him some support while he got chewed out by her mother.

Mrs. Weasley shot a look at Ginny- a sort of raised eyebrow. Ginny scowled at her, shaking her head. She knew that her mother was wondering about the relationship between her and Harry. _So _not the time.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley started lightly. She took a deep breath, and I could see she was struggling to hold back tears again. Of course, she would be completely overwhelmed right about now. "Where… where have you been?"

Harry hesitated slightly. "Mrs. Weasley," he said quietly, "I know I need to explain myself. To everyone. But I don't want to have to repeat my story over and over again. Everyone is coming over for dinner tomorrow, correct?"

Mrs. Weasley cautiously nodded.

"I'll explain tomorrow," Harry promised. "When everyone's here. But I've been taking care of myself, don't worry."

Mrs. Weasley sighed and gave him a weary smile. "Well… alright, dear. If you think that's best…" she trailed off, then seemed to fully take us in. Her eyes widened, and she quickly came forward to lightly touch the bandage on Ginny's head. "What happened to you two?"

"Long story," muttered Ginny. "In short, we kinda got in a car crash."

"A car crash?!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, gasping. "Why didn't you tell me? Here, let me fix that for you…"

Ginny waved her off. "Harry first," she said. "He has a worse injury."

Harry shot her a sharp look. "Don't be ridiculous Ginny, you should-"

"Don't, Harry," Ginny growled at him.

Harry shut his eyes briefly, seemingly trying not to lose his temper. Mrs. Weasley looked at them both cautiously before stepping forward and lightly taking Harry's arm.

"Come on, dear," she said. "Let's get you fixed up. Then I'll make you something to eat, you look much too skinny…"

Mrs. Weasley tugged him back into the kitchen, leaving Ginny and her father alone in the living room. Mr. Weasley ran a hand over his face and leaned back in his chair. For a frightening moment, Ginny was struck with just how… _old _her dad was beginning to look. This wasn't how she liked to picture her parents, but she had to face the facts; they were getting older with each day, and they had had to deal with losing a son. They were growing weary.

"Would you like to explain why you two were together?" Mr. Weasley finally asked in a quiet voice.

"He came to my dorm," Ginny muttered. "Scared me half to death." She paused, wondering whether to tell him about the real reason Harry had come back… but one look at her father told her to wait until tomorrow.

"Don't tell anyone," she said instead.

"What?" Mr. Weasley asked, confused.

"Don't tell anyone he's here," she explained. "If we do tell them, they'll all rush over today. It's better to wait until tomorrow…"

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes, I that's best, I think."

Ginny allowed a small smile to cross her face. "Hermione's going to kill him."

Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Oh, yes. Harry's going to have a lot to answer to tomorrow…"

* * *

**A/N: There, I got a new chapter up finally. I wasn't totally pleased with this chapter… at all… but whatever. The next chapter will be the family dinner! I'm totally excited, but also worried. I'm not sure how well I'm going to be able to capture everyone's emotions… oh well, I guess I'll just try my best.**

**Thank you for the awesome reviews, as always. Please continue to leave them! I'd love some criticism : ) **

**And, as always, thank you for reading!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ginny didn't fall asleep until late that night. She stayed up for hours, tossing and turning, kicking at the sheets threatening to suffocate her.

She was back in her old room, one she hadn't slept in for years. She hadn't changed a thing; everything was exactly as she had left it, from the pale pink walls to the few posters hanging across the room. It was almost like she had been sent to the past. If she hadn't known any better, she might have believed she was eleven again, and it was the night before she went to Hogwarts for the first time. Ron and Harry might have been sleeping just down the hall, and she could be back to avoiding Harry at all costs.

_Wow, things sure have changed,_ she thought dryly. She could clearly remember her 'fangirl' phase… which was pretty much the first fifteen years of her life.

She had grown up hearing stories about the Great Harry Potter, and had had this crazy fantasy that she was going to marry him; her family told her she was crazy, but she got the last laugh when they started dating.

When she had very briefly met him at the station, she had been crazy for the rest of the year, fantasizing about him and wondering how she could get his autograph. When her brother Ron wrote to her saying Harry was his best friend… well, she might have had a minor melt-down or two.

And then when Harry had come to her house for the first time… Ginny could feel a blush rising in her cheeks even though it was dark, and she was sure no one could see her. Merlin, she had been embarrassing. He must have thought she was a nut, never talking and treating him like some sort of _idol._ It had been quite a change for her in fourth year when she decided to take a step back and try being his friend first. It had worked quite sufficiently in her opinion, judging by what happened soon after; but it had been… odd. She had discovered that Harry was just a regular guy, and actually fell _more _in love with him than she had been. But this time, she had fallen in love with _Just Harry._

And then, the war had ruined everything. Harry left, and Ginny was left to fend for herself as a Muggle. It was strange, really, how much things can change in just a few years… or, when she thought back to all she had been through lately, just a few _days. _Harry had only arrived in her dorm a couple of days ago, and already, her life had been turned upside down- for better or for worse, she didn't know.

Ginny over onto her stomach, taking a deep breath. Her face pressed against the cool surface of her pillow, calming her down. She felt hot, stuffy in here; this room was too much a reminder of her old life, one of wars and lost love and death. She felt faces swimming in her head… Fred… Tonks… Remus… Colin Creevey…

Ginny sat straight up, breathing heavily. She couldn't take this anymore. She had to get out of here.

Padding over to her door, she gently pulled it open, wincing at every creak. She listened carefully, but no sounds came to her ears, so she knew she hadn't woken anyone.

Ginny stepped out on the landing. It was dark in the hall, and cold, too. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She was seriously regretting only wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts to bed now.

The pictures continued to hammer at her mind, demanding attention. Images of war and her deceased friends and family members came into sharp focus, flashing before her eyes. Ginny clutched her head with both hands, silently begging them to stop. She hadn't thought this much about the war and its repercussions in years, but now that it had begun, the flow wouldn't stop. She was drowning in them, the air being crushed out of her chest…

"Ginny?"

Ginny jumped at least a foot in the air and whirled around. Standing behind her was a dark figure who she could just make out to be Harry. He frowned at her.

"What are you doing out here?"

Ginny couldn't speak. Breathing heavily, she opened and closed her mouth, trying to get out words, to tell Harry that she was fine, go back to sleep, but nothing came out. She was left there like a drowning fish desperately trying to find water again, mouth moving wordlessly.

"Ginny?" Harry asked again, and this time she could hear concern lacing his words. "Ginny… are you crying?"

Hands shaking, Ginny touched her cheeks. Sure enough, they were wet. She could taste the saltiness as they slipped down and spilled onto her chapped lips.

Then she felt strong arms wrap around her. Her body responded immediately, throwing her arms around Harry and squeezing him. She broke down completely, sobs escaping her parted lips and tears streaming down her cheeks. She buried her face in Harry's shirt, shoulders shaking.

"Shh, it's okay," Harry said softly. "Shh, Ginny, it's alright, I'm here."

She took in his words of comfort, but they didn't affect her. She continued sobbing, crying and shaking.

"Come on," she heard Harry say. He moved his hands, placing them under her legs and lifting. Ginny felt herself being lifted until Harry was carrying her bridal-style. "We don't want to wake everyone up," he exclaimed in a low voice, walking towards Ron's old room, where he was saying.

Ginny kept crying, head turned into Harry's chest. She felt so raw, so vulnerable, nothing like how she normally felt. Her normally strong and independent exterior was stripped away until she was left crying and shivering, releasing all the emotions she had hidden from her family all these years, putting on a façade of happiness.

Harry gently put her on the bed, sitting down next to her. She covered her face with her hands, embarrassed. And she couldn't seem to stop _crying…_

"Ginny," Harry said in a quiet voice, wrapping his arms around her, "please tell me what's wrong. Why are you crying?"

"F-Fred," Ginny sobbed. "And- and R-Remus and T-Tonks… the w-war…"

Harry seemed to understand. He pulled her in closer, holding her tightly. "I know," he said in her ear. His breath tickled her bare skin, already covered with goose bumps from the chill. "I know, Ginny. It's alright. There won't be another war; I'm not going to let anyone get hurt again, I promise."

"You- you left me!" Ginny suddenly wailed.

Harry froze, but Ginny kept talking. It was like word vomit, spilling from her mouth, not stopping even when she wanted to.

"I needed you, and you left me! I couldn't deal with it all! Fred was gone and Teddy was an orphan and then his grandmother started having medical problems and we had to look after him and we were all searching for you and- and I was so _worried, _and- you just… left! Harry, why did you go?"

"I'm sorry," Harry said in a heartbroken tone. "I am so sorry. I can't explain myself; all I can say is I was young and stupid. I will never forgive myself for leaving you like that, and you can't understand how sorry I am. I let you go, and it was the biggest mistake of my life."

Harry whispered words of comfort in her ear, never relinquishing his hold on her. His hand gently rubbed her back, soothing her. Soon, her sobs turned into quiet cries, and her shoulders stopped shaking so hard.

When her tears had stopped flowing, Harry pulled back and gently dried her tears with his thumb. Ginny sniffled and turned her head away, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I must have woken you up…"

"You didn't," Harry assured her. "I couldn't sleep either."

"You didn't have to do this," Ginny said quietly.

Harry took her firmly by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Ginevra Weasley," he said quietly in a serious voice, "you can come to me for anything, do you understand? I'll always be there for you. There's nothing to thank me for."

Ginny's heart clenched as she stared straight into his eyes. She was reminded just how much she had missed him, missed _them. _Of course, there wasn't a them anymore. He was just a friend now, good friends at that. He was simply comforting her because that's what friends did. He was over her, Ginny knew that. But she'd never get over him; she was still as in love with him as she had been when she was sixteen.

"Harry," she said softly, "Harry, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Harry didn't respond. Instead, he drew back the covers, and Ginny gratefully climbed under them.

She let out a soft sigh as Harry climbed in after her. Ginny drew in close to him, using his arm as a pillow, cuddling into him as a source of warmth. Now that she was calm, she realized how tired she was. Her eyelids started drooping.

"Night, Harry," she yawned.

"Goodnight, Ginny," Harry whispered beside her.

* * *

When Ginny opened her eyes, she was greeted with a ray of sunshine shining directly onto her face.

"Ouch," she hissed, shutting them tightly again.

When she finally worked up the guts to crack open her eyes again, she glanced at the room around her. For a moment, she panicked. Was it on fire? Then, she realized that she must be in Ron's room. Those ghastly bright orange walls combined with the sunlight streaming in made the room resemble an inferno. How he had lived with it all his life Ginny didn't know.

She felt someone's arms around her, and shifted slightly to look to her right. Her eyes widened as she saw Harry lying beside her, still snoring softly.

Then the events of last night came back to her, and Ginny relaxed. She was still lying on Harry's arm, and his other hand was wrapped protectively around her waist. Their legs were tangled together under the sheets. Ginny couldn't deny that she liked this position.

A lot.

But she also knew it would cause some raised eyebrows between her parents, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to convince them they were just friends and he had been trying to comfort her. They would immediately jump to the conclusion that they were about to have more grandchildren (which Ginny was sure her Mum would love). She knew they had always wanted Harry to officially be part of the family, and thought that the two of them would be perfect together.

Not wanting to wake Harry, Ginny slowly untangled their legs. She carefully slipped out of his grip and touched lightly down on the cold wooden floor that bit at her bare feet.

Then she spent another minute just staring at Harry, who hadn't woken up. His messy hair drooped gracefully across his closed eyes, looking perfectly windswept. She knew that if he opened his eyes, she would find them to be a shocking green.

Ginny shook her head, laughing slightly. This was a new level of low, even for her; watching a guy sleep? That's not stalker-ish at all.

She pulled open the door and slipped outside. She could hear voices downstairs drifting out of the kitchen. Her parents must already be awake.

"Morning," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling at her daughter from where she stood at the stove.

"Finally awake, huh?" Mr. Weasley asked, a grin playing on his face.

"It's not even that late!" Ginny protested, heading over to sit next to him at the table.

"It's 10:30," Mr. Weasley chuckled, flipping through the newspaper. "So, how'd you sleep."

"Fine," Ginny said quickly.

"I'll bet," Mrs. Weasley said, flipping a pancake. There was a _hiss _as the batter hit the hot griddle. "You and Harry looked quite cozy."

Ginny winced. "Er- about that, it wasn't what it-"

"It's alright, Ginny, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, laughing. "We understand."

"You know we love Harry like our own son," Mr. Weasley nodded.

"No, that isn't-" Ginny tried to say.

"It was only a matter of time," Mrs. Weasley continued, ignoring her daughter. "I mean, he's been gone for six years. I'm sure you both have a lot to catch up on."

"Well, yes, but not-" Ginny said again.

"We just want you to be happy," Mr. Weasley said, nodding. "But I'm warning you, you're waiting until you get married to-"

"DAD!" Ginny hollered, stopping him mid-sentence. Both her parents turned to look at her, and Ginny sighed in relief. "We are _not _together," she snapped. "I was just having a rough night and he was there to comfort me. And there is _no way _we are going to get married. We're just friends, alright? _Just. Friends._"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.

"If you say so, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, pouring out the batter for a new batch of pancakes.

"I do say so!" Ginny said hotly. "And it's the truth! Sure, we dated a bit when we were teenagers, but I was _sixteen. _We knew we weren't going to- to get married, or-"

"We understand," Mr. Weasley said.

"Oh, really?" Ginny asked, frowning. "Just like you understood why we were sleeping together?"

Mrs. Weasley placed a plate of steaming pancakes in front of her daughter. "Well, you can't blame us," she said reasonably. "You two looked very close for just friends."

"We're just friends," Ginny said, stressing the point. She pulled the cup of syrup close to her and started to drizzle it over her pancakes, letting it soak into the still warm cake.

"Alright, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. She turned off the stove and turned to the sink, turning on the water. When it was going full blast she grabbed a sponge and a dirty plate and started washing. Honestly, did that woman _ever _stop working? "I'll need your help today," she said. "And Harry's too. Guests are coming at 4:00."

"Mum," groaned Ginny, "it's only ten. We have, what, six hours?"

"The house is a mess!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Everyone who's coming practically lives here. They won't care what it looks like."

"I still would like a clean house when my family comes over to visit," Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Now, go wake Harry and tell him that breakfast is ready."

"Fine," Ginny muttered, standing up. She stomped out of the kitchen, muttering under her breath. "Just got back, and I brought Harry with me too, and she makes me _clean_! It's like I'm a slave or something. I thought I was supposed to get away from this all when I moved out…"

She hurried up the stairs and into Ron's room. Harry was still sleeping, light snores drifting across the room.

Ginny walked over and poked him. "Harry, wake up."

Harry yawned and flipped over, facing away from her. Ginny rolled her eyes, shaking his shoulder.

"Harry, wake up! Mum's made pancakes, and we have to clean. Come on, get _up_!"

Harry yawned again, but this time when he turned back over, his eyes were open. He peered up at her, eyes drooping. "I'm sleeping," he muttered.

"Nuh-uh," Ginny said, grabbing his hand and dragging him into a sitting position. "You're awake."

"Well, I am _now_," Harry said crossly. "You woke me!"

"Hey, I was all for letting you sleep in, but Mum made me come and get you for breakfast. She's making us clean before the family gets here tonight."

Harry groaned. "This is _just _like when I was seventeen," he muttered.

Ginny laughed. "I remember that," she said, grabbing Harry's glasses. She handed them to him, and he put them on, blinking at her. "She tried to keep you, Hermione, and Ron separated with work. Didn't work, though. You guys were up here at night, talking."

"Yeah, I- wait, how did you know?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't, but now I do," Ginny said, heading out the door. "You just admitted it!"

Harry walked beside her, staring at her. "Did you just use reverse psychology?"

"Had to learn something at that Muggle school," Ginny grinned.

Harry was silent for a moment as they made their way to the stairs. "I suppose they'll be mad, won't they," he said vacantly after a few seconds.

"Who?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Ron and Hermione," Harry said.

Ginny smiled broadly. "Oh, yes. They'll be absolutely furious. You'll probably get hit. A lot."

"Why are you so happy about that?" Harry asked, glaring at her.

"Cause you deserve it," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "But don't worry, I expect things will be back to normal quite soon."

"Things are never normal," Harry sighed. Then, he swallowed loudly, and Ginny had a feeling he was going to bring up something painful for him. "How's… how_ is_ Teddy?" he asked quietly.

"Teddy?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, you mentioned him… er, last night."

Ginny felt a blush rising to her cheeks again as she remembered how emotional she had been last night. She cleared her throat, trying to suppress the redness creeping across her face. "Oh, well, he's great. He turned six a few months ago. He still lives with his grandmother, but she's been having some health problems lately, so he stays with Ron and Hermione a lot. I expect he'll be very excited to meet you."

"Me?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, you," Ginny said. "We've told him a lot about his godfather, of course. You're his hero."

"I don't deserve it," Harry muttered. "I ran away. I left him. I'm a coward."

"Harry Potter, don't you talk about yourself that way," Ginny ordered. "You're not a coward, you were just under a lot of stress. And of course you deserve to be Teddy's hero. You saved the world when you were just seventeen; or have you forgotten?"

Harry didn't respond. They walked into the kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were chatting. When Harry walked in, they greeted him with broad smiles.

"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley said, walking across the room to give him a hug. "Good morning!"

"Wow, I feel loved," Ginny muttered under her breath, sitting back down at her plate.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said in a rather stiff voice.

Ginny shot him a look. His posture was erect, his face wiped of most of his emotions. It seemed that he had only relaxed around Ginny. She remembered what he had been like when he had first shown up in her dorm, how hard he had been. He had changed over the past few days, warming up to her very gradually. He still wasn't as open as she would like, and he rarely laughed, but he seemed comfortable enough with her. Apparently, he wasn't quite so ready with her parents. Stupid prat probably still feels guilty.

Mrs. Weasley smiled gently at him, leading him over to the table. "Here, I set out some breakfast for you," she said, motioning to a stack of at least seven pancakes sitting at the seat next to Ginny.

"Thank you," Harry said, giving her a small smile.

Ginny cut into her pancakes, taking a bite. The cake seemed to melt in her mouth, and she savored the taste. "Mmm," she said. "I miss your cooking, Mum."

"I offered to teach you," Mrs. Weasley said.

Ginny laughed. "I think we all know by now that I can't cook. I live on frozen food and cereal."

She heard a snort next to her. Eyes narrowed, she turned to look at Harry, who was eating his breakfast with an emotionless look on his face. Ginny had a feeling that he had just put it on as she turned towards him.

"Something you wanted to say, Mr. Potter?" she asked, glaring at him.

Harry looked up at her, blinking. "Me? Of course not, why would you think that?" he asked innocently.

"You were laughing at me," Ginny accused.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Real mature."

"Right back at you," Ginny snapped.

Harry rolled his eyes. "This conversation is pointless."

"Like you could cook," Ginny said, ignoring him. "I'll bet I can cook way better than you!"

"What, cereal?"

"Mum!" Ginny said, turning to her mother, who was smiling at their bantering. She was probably just happy to see Harry relaxing a bit. "I'm going to cook with you today. I'll help with dinner."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said awkwardly. "Oh- um, do you think that's… er- wise, dear? Do you remember the last time you tried to help me cook!"

Ginny turned red, vaguely remembering a fire. And a _lot _of shouting. "I- no!"

"Ha," Harry said, turning back to his breakfast as if the case was closed.

"You're mean," Ginny muttered, biting into her food. "I'll show you. I'm an awesome cook."

* * *

"Ginny, I told you to check the oven!"

"Oh, shoot!"

Ginny hurried to the oven and yanked it open. Black smoke spilled out, filling the room with a burnt smell. Ginny reeled back, trying to escape the cloud of black flowing out of the oven.

Mrs. Weasley coughed, fanning the vile stuff away from her with a dish-towel. "Ginny, the chicken! It's still burning!"

"Don't worry, I'll get it!" Ginny called.

She ducked back into the smoke and found her way to the oven. Reaching inside, she grabbed the pan with one hand.

"GINNY, THAT'S AN OVEN!"

"OUCH!"

Ginny yanked her hand back, feeling her skin sear with pain. She let out a shout of pain as it burned. She blew on it, hopping up and down as if that would help. "Owwww," she whined as her hand started to blister before her eyes.

"Oh, Ginny, did you burn yourself? Oh, this blasted smoke, I can't see anything- where are you?"

"I'm- OUCH- here- it hurrrts!"

"It was a hot oven… is this you?"

"No, Mum, I'm over here."

Suddenly, the smoke was cleared away. Both women turned to see Harry standing in the doorway, his wand outstretched. He assessed the scene with raised eyebrows. "Well, Ginny, you've proved me wrong. You're not a bad cook- you're a _horrible _cook."

"Oh, shut up and help me," Ginny snapped, cradling her hand close.

Harry chuckled and came forward. He gently took her hand and Ginny let out a hiss of pain. "Ouch, that hurts," she mumbled.

"I know, one second." Harry waved his wand over her hand. Ginny watched as the skin healed itself, a fresh pink layer forming over the burnt skin.

"Ah, thanks," Ginny said, flexing her hand when he was done. It still felt tingly, but it no longer burned.

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She smiled lightly. "I think it's best if you leave the cooking to me. Everyone's going to be here in 45 minutes; can you go fix the living room for me?"

Ginny sighed, accepting defeat. "Okay, Mum," she muttered. "Sorry about the… well, sorry for destroying everything."

"Not a problem, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, waving her off.

"Well, that was a disaster," Ginny said quietly as she and Harry walked out of the kitchen.

"Yes. Yes it was."

Ginny shot a glare at him. "Oh, shut it. Come on, let's go clean the living room."

"Already did it," Harry said. "Your mum told me to do it this morning."

"Really? Awesome, that means we're done!" Ginny glanced at the clock. "We have 45 minutes. I'm going to go get ready. You… er… just don't break anything."

She whirled around, running up the stairs. Behind her, she heard Harry say, "_Me_, break something? What about her?"

* * *

45 minutes later, Ginny sat in the living room, nervously fiddling with her top. She had pulled on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, pulling her hair into a quick bun. Her mother had been quick to fix dinner, and everything was now staying warm in the oven. Ginny had a horrible feeling that it wouldn't get eaten, though. It was going to be a _very _long night.

Harry was upstairs. They had decided it was best for him to just wait until everyone was here, get it all over with at once. Ginny wasn't sure how she was supposed to act normal around everyone with Harry waiting just upstairs. The guilt for pretending to be perfectly fine was already eating at her.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ginny felt her stomach tighten as she stood up and slowly made her way to the door.

Hesitantly, she put her hand on the doorknob and pulled the door open, peeking outside. Of course, the first one to be here is the last person she wanted to lie to. They would see right through her little lie.

Ginny smiled weakly. "Hello, Hermione."

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone :D This was more of a filler chapter than anything. I wanted to develop the relationship a bit more between Harry and Ginny, and let him ease up a bit. I also wanted to put a bit more Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the story. But I absolutely promise, next chapter everyone will meet Harry!**

**Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I loved them all :3 Please continue leaving them! It means a lot when I get a well thought out review saying what the readers think of this. So please, take the time to make my day!**

**Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I'll get the next chapter up soon.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	10. Chapter 10

**Look, I'm going to say this right now: I am adding characters. I don't want to get reviews saying that I have the next generation children wrong. I don't care, I am adding in some children because of the absence of almost all of them. Right now, there is no James, Lily, Albus, Hugo, or Rose. So please don't send me flames about the children I'm adding, because they are useless.**

**Thanks. Now that that's done, on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Hermione smiled broadly at her.

"Hey, Gin! You're here early. You're normally the last one here."

"Yeah, I- er, was helping Mum," Ginny said awkwardly.

There was a laugh behind Hermione. Ron stepped up behind her, grinning at Ginny. "What'd you do, burn the house down?"

"No!" Ginny defended. "You're standing on the doorstep, aren't you?"

"Oh, you two, stop it," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Her brown hair was pulled back in a messy bun, loose tendrils falling down and framing her face. She had matured over the years, but she still had the same deep brown eyes and small smile. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Hermione wasn't known to dress up; she preferred comfort over fashion.

"She started it," Ron defended, pouting.

Ron hadn't changed much. He was still tall and lanky, with the same messy red hair he had had his whole life.

"Of course she did, darling," said Hermione, patting his cheek consolingly.

"What does that mean?" Ron asked.

"Why don't you two come in?" Ginny asked, stepping aside.

"Thanks, Gin," said Hermione, walking inside. Ron followed after her, and Ginny shut the door behind them.

"Um… sit down?" Ginny asked awkwardly, ringing her hands.

Hermione frowned, examining her long-time best friend. "Ginny, is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Ginny asked, letting out an odd laugh. "Nothing's wrong! Why would you say that?" Yeah, she was a great liar.

"You're just acting very… strange," Hermione said slowly.

Ginny was saved from answering as Mrs. Weasley bustled in, beaming around the room.

"Hermione! Ron!" she said, smiling at them. She embraced Hermione tightly, squeezing her daughter-in-law as if her life depended on it.

Hermione laughed, hugging her back. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Dinner smells great."

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, releasing Hermione and turning to hug Ron.

"Hey, Mum," Ron said, giving her a quick hug.

Mrs. Weasley sent Ginny a look, raising her eyebrow and glancing at the ceiling, where Harry was waiting upstairs. Ginny shook her head sharply, frowning at her mother.

"Er… are we missing something?" Ron asked awkwardly.

"No," Ginny said quickly. "Um- oh, someone's at the door."

She hurried away as a pounding sounded on the door. She threw open the door and, seeing who was out there, felt a smile slide onto her face.

"George!"

The stocky red-head outside grinned at her. "Hey, Gin-Gin!" he said cheerfully, stepping forward to give her a hug. "How's my favorite sister?"

Ginny laughed. "I'm your only sister."

"Which makes you my favorite," George said with a wink. "Is dinner ready? I'm starving."

He walked past Ginny and inside. Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned to head back in when she heard a shout behind her.

"Auntie Ginny!"

A little girl with a mane of blond hair ran up to Ginny, giggling excitedly. Letting out a chuckle, Ginny bent down as the girl jumped into her arms, wrapping her hands around Ginny's neck and hugging her.

"Hey, Victoire!"

Victoire sat back, grinning at her with pearly white teeth. "Alex threw up on Daddy the other night!" she said excitedly.

Ginny laughed. "Really? I would have paid to see that."

"Ha-ha-ha, Ginny," said a deep voice.

Ginny smirked at her brother Bill, who walked up with Fleur. In his arms was a little boy with big blue eyes and bright red hair.

"Aunt Ginny," said the toddler, giggling. He held out his arms to her, waving his hands.

"Alright, Alex," said Ginny, carefully setting Victoire down. She picked up Bill and Fleur's youngest child Alexandre and bounced him up and down in her arms. Alex let out a shriek of excitement, grabbing a fistful of Ginny's fiery hair in one pudgy hand and pulling on it.

"He has missed you," Fleur said with a dazzling smile. "He is always weeshing for his Aunt Ginny."

"It's because I'm so awesome," said Ginny, grinning at her.

"Of course," said Bill, chuckling.

The five of them stepped inside. Mrs. Weasley immediately rushed over to her grandchildren, fussing and kissing them. Bill and Mr. Weasley started a discussion while George started chatting with Ron. Hermione and Fleur began talking about work, leaving Ginny to handle the kids with her mother.

"Aunt Ginny, I can do a cartwheel now!" Victoire said, tugging on Ginny's shirt.

"Is that so? Well, why don't you show me?" Ginny asked, taking a step back and giving the young girl some space for her gymnastics.

Victoire was already looking after her mother even at the tender age of five. She had long shiny blond hair and the deepest blue, sparkling eyes. She was prophesized to be a heartbreaker once she reached Hogwarts (according to George) but she and a certain young Lupin had already developed a close relationship.

Victoire raised her hands above her head, rocked back on her heels, and dove into her cartwheel. Ginny watched as she kicked her feet up into the air before landing perfectly, beaming proudly at her feat.

Ginny clapped loudly as her niece came back up with a huge smile stretched across her face. "Good job!" Ginny cheered.

"I worked on it all month," Victoire said proudly, hands on her hips and chin in the air. "And I only hurt myself twice!"

"I'd rather you didn't hurt yourself at all," Ginny chuckled.

The front door flew open again with a bang, and a little boy with bright blue hair bounded in, grinning around the room.

"Teddy!" Victoire shrieked, throwing herself at the little boy.

"Victoire!" Teddy said excitedly, hugging her back.

"Lovebirds," George snickered under his breath. Fleur smacked him.

Quick to follow Teddy was a rather forlorn looking teenager. She had short, spiky black hair and big blue eyes that swept across the room, taking everyone in.

"Faith!" Mrs. Weasley cried, coming forward and crushing the girl in the hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you, sweetie!"

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," said Faith in a muffled voice, squished into the woman's shoulder.

Mrs. Weasley pulled back, holding Faith firm by the shoulders and glaring at her. "How many times have I told you to call me Grandma?" she asked.

Faith rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. "Hi, _Grandma._"

Mrs. Weasley patted her cheek, a happy expression on her face. "There you go, dear. Now, where's Charlie?"

"Busy being abandoned by his children," said a voice from the doorway. Charlie stood leaning against the frame, eyebrows raised. "I picked up Teddy," he explained. "His grandmother wasn't feeling that well."

"Again?" Ginny asked, frowning.

"It's just a cold," Charlie assured her. He clapped his hands together. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

"We're just waiting for Percy," Mrs. Weasley said.

Suddenly, Fleur giggled. "Oh, he ees not coming. He has a _date._"

Everyone stared at her. "A date?" asked Ginny in surprise, voicing everyone's opinion.

"Weeth his old girlfriend- Penelope, ees it?" Fleur said, frowning thoughtfully.

"They broke up ages ago!" said George. "Why are they getting back together now?"

"Oh, good for him!" said Mrs. Weasley excitedly. "That's wonderful! But… I was kind of hoping the entire family would be here for…"

"For what?" Hermione asked immediately, her everlasting curiosity getting the best of her. Ginny could see the suspicion forming in her eyes.

"Dinner, probably," Faith said, twisting a bracelet around her wrist.

Faith was one of the newest additions to the family, even though she was thirteen, turning fourteen in a few months. She had been adopted by Charlie a little more than two years ago after he had found her living on the streets in Romania. Faith had been running from her abusive family, whom she had had to live with for the first ten years of her life. She had only been on the streets for a few weeks when Charlie had found her and insisted that she stay with him until she found a new family. As the time went on, the two found themselves growing attached, and Charlie had adopted her. The Weasley's had welcomed Faith to the family with open arms, much to the young girl's joy.

"No," Ginny said quietly, running a hand through her hair. "Not dinner."

The talking died down at Ginny's serious tone. Everyone turned to look at her, confusion written on their faces.

"Dessert?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Victoire cheered. "Dessert for dinner! I want ice cream!"

"You will not be having dessert for dinner!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

"Ah, come on, Grandma!"

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Hermione asked concernedly.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Why don't we all sit down?"

There were some grumblings about pushing dinner off, but everyone took their seats around the living room. Teddy and Victoire were whispering to each other about one thing or another, and Alex was giggling and clapping his hands together in Fleur's lap. Faith sat down next to Charlie, staring at Ginny suspiciously.

When everyone was seated, Ginny stood in front of everyone awkwardly. She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath.

"I have some very big news," she started hesitantly. "I'm- I'm not really sure how to say it…"

"Alright," said George, slamming his hand on the arm of the couch, "what jerk got you pregnant? Want me to hit him? What's his name? I swear I'll hunt him down and-"

"Wait- what?" Ginny spluttered as everyone burst out laughing. "I am _not _pregnant! This is serious, George!"

"I'm being serious!" George said, a smile twitching at his lips.

"Just tell us," Ron said, still chuckling.

"You know what? Fine!" Ginny snapped at him. "I'll go get it."

She turned around and stomped away, muttering under her breath. "Stupid George, can't take a thing seriously in his life… let's just see their expressions when they see who I come back with…"

She walked up the stairs, planning to head over to Ron's room where Harry was supposed to be waiting, but she was interrupted when she ran straight into someone's chest.

"What the- oh, hi, Harry," she said, looking up into his shadowed face.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "'I'll go get it'? I'm an it now?"

"Oh, come on, if I had said 'he' Hermione would have caught on."

"Yeah," Harry said, chuckling. "She always was too smart for her own good."

"Don't I know it," muttered Ginny. "Now, come on; the gang's all here. It's time for you to make your debut."

She turned to go, but Harry hesitated.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, glancing at him over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, straightening his shoulders.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Harry, it's okay if you're nervous. It's _natural _to feel that way. In fact, I would be worried for your mental health if you weren't at least a little nervous right now." She grimaced, her stomach churning with butterflies. "_I'm _nervous."

Harry sighed. "I guess I'm a little nervous," he admitted in a quiet voice.

"There you go- embrace your nervousness." Ginny grabbed his hand gently. "Come on, it's time to face them."

She led him down the stairs. It felt as if she were approaching her doom, it honestly did. Harry's hand clenched tightly on to hers, so she could tell he was more nervous than he was letting on. He probably knew how Hermione was going to react. Ginny would be nervous too if she was in his position.

"Okay, wait here," she whispered when they reached the door leading into the living room. Harry hung back while she stepped inside.

"Um- everyone?" she asked. Talking immediately ceased as heads turned to look at Ginny. Her parents gave her encouraging smiles, nodding slightly. "I have someone important to introduce you to."

"If it's a baby, I _swear-_"

"It's not a baby, George!" Ginny sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "Listen, it's… it's someone we all know, and… well, he- you know what? I'm just going to get him."

Ginny turned slightly to face the open doorway. "Harry, come in."

Harry stepped into the room, his face wiped of any emotion.

Fleur let out a small shriek as everyone gasped. Hermione let out a sort of strangled choking noise, and Ron just sat there, staring in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Er- I'm sure you all remember Harry," said Ginny awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks, Gin," Harry muttered in a low voice.

"Well what do you expect me to say?" she hissed, glaring at him. "Now talk, you prat!" she said, giving him a small shove forward.

Harry turned awkwardly to everyone else, who were sitting there in shocked silence. "Hello," he said in a stiff voice.

Hermione stood up slowly, her eyes wide. She gaped at Harry, who stood there impassively, staring at her.

"H-Harry?" Hermione whispered.

Harry gave a sharp nod.

Hermione let out a cry and leaped forward, throwing her arms around him and squeezing as hard as she could. Harry seemed surprised, but returned the hug cautiously, looking awkward as he gently patted her on the back.

Hermione's shoulders shook as tears escaped, streaming down her cheeks. Harry looked alarmed, glancing at Ginny, who was smirking at him. _Just wait for it…_

"Hermione?" he asked in a soft voice.

Hermione's cries turned into a snarl, and she stepped back, glaring hard at him. "Don't you dare _Hermione _me, Potter!"

"Hermione, I-"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Hermione shouted at him. "YOU HAVE BEEN GONE FOR SIX _FREAKING _YEARS, HARRY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW _WORRIED _WE'VE BEEN? HOW WE'VE SEARCHED FOR YOU WHILE YOU'VE BEEN OFF DOING _WHO KNOWS WHAT, _NOT CARING AT ALL WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING USE THROUGH? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? AND WHY IN THE NAME OF _MERLIN _ARE YOU HERE RIGHT NOW?"

_"_Hermione, I can explain-"

"Oh no you can't," Hermione snapped at him. "I don't know what possessed you to run away like that, and there's no way you can just come back here and- and-" she faltered, glaring at him.

Then she took a step forward and slapped him.

The sound of her hand meeting his cheek rang across the silent room. Ginny winced just hearing it, although all Harry did was wince slightly; and Ginny suspected that was more from the icy glare Hermione was sending him than the slap.

"You- you-" Hermione stuttered, punching his chest with both hands. She pounded at him with her fists, raining him with an onslaught of punches. "I can't BELIEVE you! You just left, Harry, you left! I didn't know if you were alive, or- or dead, or-" Cries started puncturing her yells, and she dissolved into tears again. Harry caught her fists, holding them tight to stop her.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Hermione broke down, sobbing into his arms. Harry held her, shooting looks at Ginny over her shoulder. Ginny shrugged, unsure.

After another minute, Hermione pulled back, panting for air and wiping her eyes. She glared at him, sniffling.

"Harry?" Ron stood up, staring at Harry in disbelief. He walked forward, squinting at him.

"Blimey, mate- is that really you?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "It is."

Ron shook his head, a dazed expression on my face. "What have I been drinking?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"You haven't been drinking anything, Ron," Ginny spoke up, stepping up next to Harry. "This prat really is here." She elbowed him. He shot a glare at her, which she easily ignored. "Now, who else wants to slap him?" she asked innocently.

"Mummy?" Victoire asked in a small voice. She tugged on Fleur's sleeve. "Mummy, who is that man? And why was Aunt Hermione hitting him?"

Fleur was still staring at Harry, and seemed to be lost for words. "He's- that's- that's Harry, your- your uncle, and-"

"Harry _Potter_?" Faith asked in disbelief, frowning sharply.

Charlie nodded slowly. "Yeah, Faith. Harry… Harry Potter."

Alex clapped, grinning broadly. "Uncle Harry!"

Ron was still staring at Harry. He took a deep breath before his face split into a broad smile.

"Harry!" he said, coming forward and clapping his old friend into a manly hug. "I knew you'd come back, mate!"

"Sure you did," muttered Hermione irritably.

George cleared his throat. Ron pulled away from Harry, turning to look towards his brother.

"I think Harry has some explaining to do," George said, uncharacteristically serious.

"I know," Harry said, face hard. "I-"

"Harry?" asked a tiny voice.

Harry looked as if he had been slapped in the face. His jaw dropped as Teddy took a step closer, frowning up at his godfather.

"Teddy," Harry said in a quiet voice.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Faith interrupted, glaring hard at Harry.

Harry raised his eyes to her. Then, he frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you aren't."

"She's my daughter," Charlie said, stepping up to stand behind his daughter and looking at Harry cautiously.

"Charlie?" Harry asked in disbelief. "You have a daughter?"

"I'm adopted," Faith shot at him.

"Er- alright," Harry said uneasily.

"Okay, everyone, calm down," Mrs. Weasley said, trying to keep the peace. She stood up and made her way over to stand next to Harry. "I know you all have many questions; Arthur and I do, as well. But we need to give Harry a chance to explain, then we'll discuss this."

Victoire poked Teddy. When he turned towards her with a confused expression, she cupped a hand around his ear. "Is that your godfather?" she whispered to him.

Teddy shrugged, his hair turning a shade of light brown as his confusion increased. "I don't know," he whispered back.

Hermione covered her face with her hands. "You have some major, major explaining to do, Potter," she muttered in a tired voice.

"I know," Harry said in a weary voice. "Sit back down and I'll tell you all."

Shooting him one last glare, Hermione made her way back to her seat and sat down, clutching Ron's hand. Mrs. Weasley returned to her seat as well, leaving Harry to sit with her husband and hear his explanation.

All eyes were on Harry. Ginny stood slightly behind him, arms crossed, staring at the floor.

"Well," Harry started, "as I'm sure you all know, I left six years ago. I was acting… childish. I had so many emotions rolling around in my head, I was grieving over everyone who had died during the war, I found ways to blame myself for everything- I was a mess, and I couldn't take it. And I'm very sorry to say that I ran. I just… ran. I wasn't thinking straight.

"For a year, I just kind of wandered, not going anywhere in particular. That's probably why you couldn't find me, I wasn't in any one place for too long."

Ginny's head snapped up to look at Harry in surprise. Hadn't he said he drank for a year after. Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, gently shaking his head. And Ginny understood; he didn't want to share that with anyone. Not yet, at least; he was uncomfortable and ashamed. Ginny couldn't help feeling proud that she was the only one he had shared that with, even if he was being a bit of an idiot. No one here would judge him, but Ginny respected his wishes and stayed silent.

"Kingsley finally found me," Harry continued heavily. "He knocked some sense into me. And he… he offered me a job."

"Woah, woah, woah," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes. "Does this mean Kingsley _knew where you were but didn't tell us?_"

"Yes, but-"

"I'm going to kill him!" Hermione exclaimed, leaping out of her seat.

"Woah there, 'Mione," said George, pulling on her hand to keep her from rushing out of the house. "I'm pretty sure killing the Minister for Magic would get you in some pretty deep trouble."

"Let's finish the story before we kill anyone," Ginny added. Hermione grudgingly sat down, still looking infuriated.

"As I was saying, Kingsley found me," Harry continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "He was going to tell everyone, but I made him promise not to. He didn't agree, but he swore to respect my decisions. And… I took the job."

"What job?" Bill asked, speaking for the first time.

"An Auror," Harry said. "But not the regular Auror. It's a branch of the Unspeakables. We deal with the toughest and most top-secret cases. And for the past five years, I've been doing that."

"And why are you back now?" Hermione asked hotly, her temper flaring.

"I'll tell you later," Harry said, shooting a glance at Teddy and Victoire. His message was obvious: not in front of the children.

"And…?" George prompted, waving his hands.

"And that's it," Harry said.

"That's eet?" Fleur exclaimed in disbelief. "You 'ave been missing for six years and that ees all you 'ave to say?"

"The rest is top secret," Harry said.

"Oh, that's rich," Hermione snorted. "_Top secret._"

"Where does Ginny play into all this?" Ron said loudly before Hermione could start hitting Harry again.

"He showed up in my dorm room a few days ago," Ginny said, stepping up next to Harry. "He said we needed to come back here. So we were driving-"

"Excuse me," George interrupted, "but _driving? _Why?"

"It's complicated," Ginny sighed. "Anyways…"

She quickly summed up their little road trip, leaving out parts that her family didn't need to know; such as the incident with those men at the bar and the little intimate moments between her and Harry.

"And… yeah," Ginny finished lamely, unsure on how to end her story.

Alex clapped again. "Story!" he cheered happily, giggling excitedly.

"Oh, right," Ginny said. "I suppose some introductions are in order, right Harry?"

"That would be helpful, yes," Harry muttered.

Ginny crossed the room and picked up Alex, gently taking him from his mother's grasp and carrying him over to Harry. "This is Alexandre," she said, holding the boy up. "He's, what, seventeen months now? He's Bill and Fleur's youngest child."

"Uncle Harry!" Alex cheered again, leaning forward to poke Harry's cheek.

"Er- hi, Alexandre," Harry said, giving the kid a small, awkward smile. Obviously, he didn't have much experience with children.

"That's Victoire, Bill and Fleur's eldest child," Ginny went on, pointing to Alex's sister. Victoire smiled shyly, tucking a piece of blond hair behind her ear.

"The grumpy one over there is Faith, she was adopted by Charlie a few years ago," Ginny said, smirking.

"I am _not _grumpy!" Faith huffed, still shooting glares at Harry.

"And… well, that's Teddy," Ginny said in a quieter voice, gesturing to the little boy staring avidly at Harry with curious eyes.

Teddy's hair immediately turned a violent shade of red. He turned away, finding great interest in picking at the carpet

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly, looking a bit disappointed. "It's nice to meet you all," he said softly.

There was an awkward silence in which everyone just sort of stared at each other. Well, okay, they stared at Harry. After a few tense moments, Ginny cleared her throat. "Right then," she said weakly. "Is it time for dinner?"

* * *

**A/N: Phew, I finished. Yeah, that was kind of hard. I wasn't sure if I got all the reactions down right… but oh well.**

**I LOVE THE NEXT GENERATION KIDS. They're so cute, and I just love Faith! She's so awesome… I can't wait to write more about them later.**

**Feedback on this chapter? Not sure if it all flowed together well, but I think I got Hermione's anger captured pretty well. This is for all you people who wanted her to punch Harry!**

**Thanks for reading everyone, and please review! I accept criticism : )**

**Next chapter will be up soon!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Needless to say, dinner was forgotten. No one was very hungry, and they were all very eager to hear why Harry had decided to come back.

"Okay, Faith, Teddy, Victoire, and Alex, upstairs," Mrs. Weasley ordered.

The kids immediately protested.

"I am 13!" Faith exclaimed. "Why can't I stay down here?"

"I wanna hear!" Victoire whined.

"No buts!" Mrs. Weasley said sternly. "Faith, I need you to look after the children for me. Can you please go upstairs?"

Faith bit her lip, frowning. But after taking one look at Mrs. Weasley's face, she seemed to cave. "Alright," she sighed. "But I'm going to find out what's going on one way or another."

"That's nice, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, lowering Alex into Faith's arms.

The kids trooped upstairs, Victoire and Teddy whispering to each other and shooting looks at the adults behind them. When they were out of the room, everyone settled in to look at Harry, who was still standing in front of them all.

"Alright, Harry," Bill said, crossing his arms and staring coolly at the man in front of him. "Tell us what's wrong, then."

Harry straightened up, looking around the room with a hard, serious expression. "A few days ago, I was assigned a mission," he started. "We have received information telling us that there are once again dark wizards threatening the wizarding world. Their main objective is to capture and kill me; we believe that they wish to avenge Voldemort's death. So obviously, they are going to try and take down the people who helped defeat him the first time."

There was a ringing silence after he finished. Everyone was looking at him in shock; whether from the news or just his disposition now Ginny was not sure. Ron was staring at him, eyebrows high; he must have been surprised by the change in his best friend.

"So what you're saying," George said, finally breaking the silence, "is that there's another war coming?"

"Not exactly," Harry said, frowning minutely. "Although they're a threat, their forces are nothing compared to the ones Voldemort had. We don't believe they're trying to take over the wizarding world just yet; right now, they're just vengeful death eaters who want to kill the ones who brought down their lord."

Hermione tucked a strand of hair that had escaped from her bun behind her ear. Her eyes were narrowed at Harry; she was obviously still angry at him.

"This still doesn't explain what _you _are doing here," she said frostily. "They could have sent someone else; why did _you _have to take off time from your _precious _work and come all the way to visit little old us?"

Harry looked at her. While his face remained impassive, Ginny saw that his eyes told a different story. They were turmoil of hurt and amusement, a rather odd combination. Nevertheless, he regarded Hermione with a cool look.

"This was the mission I was assigned, and as I am directly associated with the danger, I was sent to protect you and try to take down this group."

Hermione stared at him, glaring even more intensely. "Oh, I see," she snapped. "You came back because you _had _to."

"Hermione-"

"Did it ever even occur to you to come back because you wanted to see us again?"

"Hermione, I-" Harry struggled to put in his own words.

"Maybe you _didn't _want to see us again!" Hermione exclaimed, gaining momentum.

"_Hermione,_" Ron broke in, placing a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her down.

"No, Ron!" Hermione snapped, yanking her arm away. "I am _done _with him. _Done!_ He leaves for six years and shows up again to _protect _us. No, I am sick of this." She stood up, ignoring her husband, who was trying to placate her. She stomped over to Harry, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're a jerk," she snapped at him, before whirling around and striding over to the door, yanking it open. "I'm going home, Ronald; I'll see you later! Thank you for having us, Mrs. Weasley!"

And she ran outside, slamming the door behind her. After a minute they heard the telltale _pop _as she apparated.

Everyone just sort of stared at each other awkwardly, not sure on what to say. Ginny pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. _Well, that went better than I had expected, _she thought.

"Ron," Harry said suddenly in a sharp voice.

Ron glanced up, confused. "Yes?" he asked.

Harry jerked his head toward the door. "Go after her. Make sure she sets some strong wards around wherever you're staying." He turned to look at the room at whole. "_All _of you should. Bring out the strongest wards you have, and set them up. I've already set some very complex and strong ones around the Burrow; perhaps it's best to just have the children stay here, just in case. If any of you need any help, just ask me."

There were murmurs of agreement from the assembled Weasleys. Ginny looked at Harry, surprised; when had he set wards up?

Ron stood up. He turned to look seriously at Harry. "Hermione and I will be back tomorrow," he said. "We have a lot to talk about."

Harry set his jaw. "I know," he said. "Just go set the wards; be careful."

Eyebrows furrowed, Ron slowly nodded. Shooting one last look at his best friend, he walked over to the door and strode outside.

Fleur had turned to Mrs. Weasley immediately after Harry had finished speaking. "Oh, Molly, are you sure eet ees alright if Alex and Victoire stay here?" she asked in an anxious voice.

Mrs. Weasley waved her off. "Of course, dear; I would love to have them! And if this is where they're safest, that's where they're going to be."

Fleur gave her a grateful smile. "Oh, thank you!" she said happily.

"Ginny," said a low voice right in Ginny's ear.

Surprised, she jumped, whirling around to face Harry, who looked at her with amusement. She glared at him, running a hand through her hair. "Don't _do _that," she snapped. "You scared the living daylights out of me, I thought you were still standing over _there._"

Harry shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "I need to make a Floo call," he said. "I'll be gone for a few minutes; can you try and convince all the children to stay here? This is where they're safest."

"Yeah, of course," Ginny said. "Although, Faith will need some convincing… but I'm sure Charlie can do it. She listens to Charlie most of the time."

Harry frowned at her. "Yes, that surprised me. I didn't expect Charlie to be the fathering type."

Ginny sighed. "It's a long story," she said. "I'll tell you later."

She made shooing motions with her hands. "Now, go," she said. "I can handle everything here."

Shaking his head, Harry turned and slipped past everyone unnoticed, into the kitchen where the fireplace was.

Charlie stood at the staircase, looking up. "You can come down now!" he shouted up in a loud voice.

There was a moment's pause before a thump was heard from upstairs as the door flew open. Faith hurried down the stairs, Alex clutched in her arms, and Teddy and Victoire came right after her, racing.

"Oh, come here, _mon amour_," Fleur said, sweeping over to Faith and taking Alex from her. The little boy cooed and grabbed at strands of his mother's golden hair with one hand, the other thumb tucked firmly in his mouth.

"Alright, what's going on?" Faith demanded of her step-father. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, almost daring him to lie to her.

"Later," Charlie said, shaking his head. "I'll tell you later, Faith."

Faith let out a noise of frustration, shutting her eyes for a second. "You'd better," she warned.

"Where's Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron?" Teddy asked, tugging on Ginny's shirt to get her attention.

"They went home, Ted," Ginny said, crouching down to look Teddy in his mismatched eyes. "Hey, Teddy," she said lightly, "how would you like to stay here for a while?"

"With you?" Teddy asked, his voice a little excited.

Ginny laughed. "Yes, with me," she said.

Teddy grinned, but then it fell slightly. "Will Harry be here?" he asked.

Ginny frowned. "Yes," she said.

Teddy stuck his lower lip out. "I don't know then," he mumbled, kicking at the floor.

Ginny's frown deepened, and she reached out to scoop Teddy into her arms. He had always been a small child, and even though he was a little heavy at six, it was still lift-able for Ginny. "What's wrong with Harry?" Ginny asked, sitting down with the boy.

Teddy wrapped his arms around Ginny's neck, shaking his head.

"He's your godfather," Ginny said gently. "He wants to get to know you, Teddy."

Teddy shook his head again. "I don't know him," he said in a muffled voice.

"I thought you always wanted to know him?" Ginny asked, extraordinarily confused.

Teddy pulled back to look at Ginny, his eyes turning a light blue color. "I don't know what to say around him," he admitted in a quiet voice.

Ginny smiled at him. "Don't worry, Teddy. Harry is a really nice man, and he loves you."

"No, he doesn't," Teddy muttered.

Ginny frowned sharply. "Teddy Lupin, don't you dare say that," she ordered.

Teddy squirmed, wanting to get out of her grasp. "I want to go talk to Victoire," he mumbled, slipping out of Ginny's arms. He managed to escape and dropped to the ground, turning to go speak with his friend.

"Wait, Teddy," Ginny said, catching the little boy's arm. Reluctantly, Teddy turned to her. "You're going to stay here, alright?" she said. "Like a little vacation. Your cousins are staying, too."

Teddy seemed to brighten a little bit, and gave her a small smile. "Okay," he said, before whirling around and running over to where Victoire and Alex were playing on the carpet. Ginny watched as he sat down next to the two, and Victoire smiled broadly at him and started chattering in a fast voice about who knows what.

Harry's going to have a hard time getting through to Teddy, Ginny could tell. It must be hard for the boy, to think he had been abandoned by his own godfather. Although he had admired Harry his entire life, now that he was finally confronted with the man, he wasn't ready. He was confused, most likely; he didn't know how to behave around him. It was too much for a six year old to have to deal with, Ginny thought sadly.

"Hey, Gin-Gin," said a voice, breaking Ginny out of her thoughts.

"Oh, hi, George," she murmured, her mind still on the predicament with Teddy.

George examined her closely, his eyebrows furrowed, a look of uncharacteristic seriousness on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.

Ginny blinked, glancing up at him. "What? Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Why?"

George shrugged. "I dunno. It's got to be hard, I expect, having Harry back after all this. I know _I'm _not alright."

Ginny cocked her head slightly, surprised. "You're not?" she asked.

George chuckled, shaking his head. "I was ready to give Harry a punch to the face, but Hermione beat me to it," he said in an amused voice. "Always liked that girl."

Ginny snorted. "You wanted to punch him?"

George's smile seemed to dim a bit. "'Course. He made my little sister cry," he said.

Ginny sighed. "George, I'm over that," she said. "And I don't-"

"-need me to look after you, I know," George said, sending her an amused look. "I dunno, I guess I'm just sort of mad is all. I'll get over it, I expect; I mean, I am happy he's back, and that he's okay. But he's just so… different."

Ginny shook her head. "Don't I know it," she muttered. "Being in a car with him almost drove me crazy. He barely spoke to me for the first half of the trip."

"He seems pretty relaxed around you," George observed.

Ginny shrugged. "We've been through a lot already," she said.

George peered at her, eyebrows furrowed. "Ginny," he said in a low voice, "do you two still… have feelings for each other?"

Ginny felt a lump grow in her throat. _Yes, _she thought immediately, but she masked it by glaring at her brother. "And how is that any of your business?" she demanded.

George crossed his arms. "I'm being serious, Ginny. I know you still have feelings for him, and while I don't know if he still likes you, I want you to be careful. He broke your heart all those years ago; and while I do regard Harry as a friend, I don't know if you should be with him."

"You can't tell me what to do," Ginny mumbled, frowning at the floor.

"I know I can't," George said heavily. "But I'm telling you right now, Ginny; maybe it's best to just stay friends with him. Everything will be a lot easier that way."

He tried to place a hand on Ginny's shoulder, but Ginny jerked away, glaring at him. "George," she said in a controlled tone of voice, "I know you think you know what's best for me, but it's not your decision. I don't even know if our relationship is going to go anywhere, as there is a very high probability it isn't, but I'm not going to let you make my decisions for me. If I decide to be with Harry, that's my choice, and I'll deal with the consequences."

George sighed ruefully, shaking his head. "I knew you would say that," he said, a small smile playing on his face. "Alright, Ginny. Just remember what I said, alright?"

When he got no response from his sister, George gave her one last smile before turning and walking back to where the rest of the group was standing, leaving Ginny behind in a pensive silence.

As much as Ginny tried to deny it, she knew that her brother's words held some truth. If she did get back together with Harry, there was no guarantee he wouldn't run off and break her heart again. His job was demanding; he could have to leave at any time. There was also the trivial question of whether he even still had feelings for her; although she knew she was his friend, that could very well be all he saw her as. Just a good friend. And if that was the case, it probably wasn't even worth it to go chasing after him.

Ginny knew that she wanted to be with him. She still longed for the relationship they had once had, and dearly wished they could just go back to when she was sixteen and they were still in love. But that time had long passed, and they were both different now; Ginny wasn't even sure if they were compatible anymore. And there was definitely some level of trust that had been lost when Harry had left her, and Ginny wasn't sure if she would be able to fully trust him again.

Ginny mentally sighed. Was she overanalyzing this? Making a big deal out of nothing? She barely had any information, any basis for her assumptions; maybe she should just wait and figure out her feelings before she went and decided on the course of her life. And maybe knowing how Harry felt would help her out a bit as well.

Ginny realized that she must look pretty odd, standing all by herself in the corner and staring into the distance. Shaking herself off and trying to ignore the little voice whispering arguments about her feelings in her head, she walked back over to join Fleur, who was speaking in hushed voices to Bill.

"I don't want to just _leave _zem," Fleur said in a soft, desperate voice to her husband.

"Fleur, there isn't much we can do," Bill said. "And if what Harry said is true, then this is the safest place for them. They've stayed here loads of time, Mum can take care of them."

"I know she can," Fleur said, delicately biting her bottom lip in thought. "It is just- I do not know, Bill. Zis whole predicament is just… just…"

"Crazy?" Ginny offered, stepping in to join their conversation.

Fleur jumped slightly, looking at Ginny. "Ah, Ginny, zere you are."

Ginny smiled lightly at her. "I'll look after Victoire and Alex, Fleur," she promised. "I know you have things to do at home; you can check back on them every day. They'll be perfectly safe here."

Bill took his wife's hand, squeezing it. "See, Fleur?" he said. "Gin will take care of them. They'll be fine."

Fleur sighed, leaning on Bill's shoulder. "I know, I am just worried," she said in a low voice. "What if zose wizards find zem and- and-"

Bill firmly grabbed Fleur's chin, making her look up at him. "They won't," he said firmly. "I promise you, they won't get them."

Fleur gave him a small smile before leaning up and pecking him on the lips. They smiled at each other, seemingly lost in their own little world; a world Ginny hadn't been in since she had been sixteen.

_Well, this is sufficiently awkward, _Ginny thought, standing there. As she watched them, she couldn't help but feel a small pang in her heart; this is what she wanted with Harry, she realized.

She shook her head. She couldn't. George was right, it was best if they were just friends.

Deciding to leave the two alone, Ginny slipped away and headed into the kitchen. Looking around, she spotted Harry kneeling at the fireplace, his head stuck in the emerald green flames. A slight fogginess around his knees told Ginny that he had set a cushioning charm before kneeling on the hard stones. Ginny silently congratulated him; sore knees had marred her so many times after Floo calls like this, and she had experienced it enough times to thoroughly hate it.

The kitchen was dark and empty aside from the dancing green flames. Ginny made her way over to where Harry was kneeling and sat down cross-legged next to him, waiting patiently as he spoke to whoever it was on the other end of the fireplace.

His shoulders were relaxed, and Ginny guessed that whoever it was he was talking to was a friend. The thought struck Ginny suddenly; what was his other life like? He must have friends, people who care about him. He would have told her if he had gotten a girlfriend, right? He wouldn't have kept that a secret, would he?

_Overanalyzing, _Ginny scolded herself, trying to brush the thought out of her mind.

There was a crackle of flames, and Ginny glanced over to see Harry pulling his head out of the fireplace. For a moment, his face was illuminated with the emerald green flames; his glasses reflected the unnatural light, throwing out little dances of colors on the surrounding walls.

Then, the fire flickered and died out as the call was disconnected. The flames shrank down until it was just an empty fireplace again, and the room was dark.

Harry blinked at her, surprised. His face was shadowed, but it was obvious that he hadn't expected Ginny to be there.

"How long were you sitting there?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged. "Not long. How was your Floo call?"

Harry sighed. "Alright, I guess. I just had to report back to headquarters, tell them that I got here alright. Now I just have the easy task of finding and catching those wizards," he said in a sarcastic voice.

Ginny grinned at him. "Well, I'm here to help you with that. We can do it." She shifted around until she was in a more comfortable position, resting her hands in her lap. "The kids are staying," she said. "Fleur is all for Alex and Victoire staying where it's safe, although she's pretty worried about them. Charlie's speaking to Faith, and I already convinced Teddy to stay."

Harry let out a low sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. The shadows thrown across his face seemed to make him age ten years; he looked so much older than he had just a few short minutes ago.

"Teddy," he muttered. "Boy, I messed up with him. He hates me, doesn't he?"

"He doesn't hate you," Ginny quickly said. "You just need to talk with him."

Harry leaned back, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I don't have much experience with children," he admitted. "All of them out there; I have no idea how to act around them. I can tell Faith doesn't like me, and Teddy hates me-"

"Harry, don't," Ginny sighed. "They don't know you, yet. Kids aren't that hard to deal with; you just have to talk with them, get to know them. Besides, as Faith is constantly reminding us, she's not a child anymore."

"Yes, I suppose not," Harry mused in a quiet voice, looking thoughtful.

Ginny let him think in silence for a few moments before clearing her throat and scrambling to her feet. "Come on," she said, holding out her hand and helping Harry to his feet. "We should go back out and join the rest of the world. Everyone will be leaving, and then it's just us and the kids."

"Joy," Harry muttered.

Ginny let out a small chuckle. "You'll be fine, Harry. Get them some food and they'll be putty in your hands."

She pulled on his hand, leading him out and back into the living room where the rest of the family still lingered.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was more about developing relationships between the characters than of action. The next chapter will be centered around the children and Harry, so I hope you all look forward to that!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed reading, and I thank you all for the amazing reviews! Please, keep them coming, I accept criticism!**

**I'll put the next chapter up soon!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Everyone began exchanging their slightly awkward goodbyes. Fleur was fussing over her children, tears glistening, unshed, in her eyes, while Bill stood next to her, smiling sadly. Charlie was speaking in hushed tones to Faith, who looked unhappy about something, her face set in a frown. George was messing around with Teddy, trying to distract the little boy from his dispirited mood.

"I don't _want _to stay here," Teddy muttered.

"Ah, buck up, Teds. I'm sure Aunt Gin-Gin will have lots for you to do," George said, grinning up at his sister. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him.

Harry was standing with Mr. Weasley. They both had very serious looks on their faces, and Mr. Weasley was frowning. Ginny had the urge to go and find out what they were talking about, but decided it wouldn't be the best idea to interrupt.

"Right then," Charlie said, straightening up. Faith huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. "I'd best be off. I have work in the morning, and it's starting to get late."

Mrs. Weasley didn't look happy, but she swept forward and squeezed her son in a hug. "Oh, alright, Charlie. Please, set the wards around your house; be safe!"

Charlie rolled his eyes, wrapping his scarred arms around his mother. "I _know _Mom. I've been through this before," he said lightly.

Mrs. Weasley sniffed, releasing Charlie. "And I was hoping you would never have to again," she said softly.

Charlie gave her a sad smile, before leaning down to kiss Faith on the forehead. He gave his sister a hug, exchanged goodbyes with his brother, awkwardly nodded to Harry, and departed.

"Mum, I'm alright!" Victoire whined, pushing her mom's hand away as Fleur tried to fix her hair for the fourth time.

Fleur sighed. "I know, darling; I am just worried."

"I've stayed at Grandma's house before," Victoire said, blinking her big blue eyes at her mother.

Fleur brushed back her daughter's hair again, ignoring the look Victoire shot her. "Eet ees just a mother thing," she explained. "You will understand when you have your own children."

Victoire wrinkled her nose. "Mum, I'm only _six_," she emphasized. "I don't want to talk about… making babies again."

Fleur's eyes narrowed. "_Again?_ When have you talked about this?"

"Uncle George explained everything to me at the last family dinner."

Eyes flashing, Fleur spun on her brother-in-law. "George Weasley!"

"Right, that's my cue," George said, quickly standing up. "Bye everyone; I'll stop by tomorrow!"

He leaped across the room and threw open the door, expertly avoiding Fleur, and sprinted out into the night.

Fleur let out a frustrated noise. "I am going to _kill _that man!" she hissed.

Bill rolled his eyes. "It's George, dear. What would you expect?"

"You can kill him tomorrow," Ginny put in. "I think you need to get home though, Fleur. You look exhausted."

Fleur touched a hand to her cheek, sighing again. "Yes, I suppose I could do with some rest." She folded Ginny into a quick hug before leaning down to embrace her children.

"Make sure to listen to everything Grandma says," she told Victoire firmly. "And look after your brother. Don't cause any trouble for your aunt and Harry. Eat what they tell you to eat, and no sneaking junk food! No-"

"Mum!" Victoire exclaimed. "I _know_!"

Alex waved his feet in the air. "Mama!" he cried, grinning up at Fleur.

With a sad look, Fleur leaned down and pressed a kiss to both her children's cheeks. After thanking Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, she turned to Harry.

"Please look after them," she said softly, her eyes pleading.

Harry nodded sharply. "Of course."

She looked at him, a disconcerting sorrowful look in her eyes. Then she leaned forward, gently kissing his cheek. "Eet ees nice to have you back, Harry," she said truthfully.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead, he just nodded again, unable to speak.

Bill and Fleur parted with one last hug from their children, leaving the remaining occupants of the Burrow standing there awkwardly.

Mrs. Weasley let out a long yawn. "I'm exhausted," she said lightly. "I'd best get off to bed. Ginny, don't keep the children up too late. Harry, dear, please get something to eat, you're much too skinny." She patted him on the cheek absentmindedly, ignoring his bemused expression.

There were murmurs of agreement and many eye rolls as Mrs. Weasley gave everyone a tight hug and retired to her bedroom with her husband.

Ginny crossed the living room to where Alex was perched on the sofa, sucking on his toes. Shaking her head fondly, she gently pulled his foot out of his mouth. "No, Alex. Don't eat your feet," she said, picking up the little boy. Alex wrapped his little arms around her neck, giggling at being so high off the ground.

"All right, troops," she said, turning to the rest of the children, who were staring at Harry with mixed emotions. "Let's head up to the playroom."

Faith, Victoire, and Teddy all trooped up the stairs. Harry stared after them, a confused expression on his face. "Playroom?" he asked, "Since when do you have a playroom?"

"George gave up his room to have it converted into a playroom for all the kids," Ginny explained. "He said there were too many… memories," she said, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Besides, Teddy needed someplace to play, and then Victoire came along…" she trailed off, and the two stood in an awkward silence, each avoiding each other's eyes.

Alex interrupted them, waving his arms in the air to get their attention. "Uncle Harry," he said loudly, struggling in Ginny's grasp and reaching one stubby hand towards Harry.

Ginny let out a small laugh, relieved that the silence had been broken. "I think he wants you to hold him," she said, holding Alex out.

"Oh," Harry said, looking slightly alarmed. "Yeah… about that… I'm not really great with kids…"

Ginny rolled her arms, pushing the boy into Harry's arms. "Just hold him, Potter. Honestly, he's just a baby."

Caught by surprise, Harry grabbed Alex, awkwardly holding the little boy and shooting a glare at Ginny at the same time.

Alex giggled, reaching up and grabbing Harry's glasses. He pulled them off, playing with them in his chubby hands.

"No- Alexandre, put those back," Harry complained immediately, not wanting to grab them back in fear of dropping the little boy.

Alex just laughed harder, jamming the circular glasses onto his face and blinking owlishly up at Harry, his bright blue eyes framed by the black glasses. "Uncle Harry!" he exclaimed again, clapping his hands in amusement and grinning his toothy smile up at Harry.

Harry's face softened ever so slightly, and a slight smile played at the corner of his lips. "You like my glasses, Alexandre?" he asked softly.

Alex nodded brightly, jamming his thumb in his mouth and staring up at Harry through the stolen glasses.

"Let's hope you never need your own," Harry said, letting out a little laugh. "Bad vision is horrible, Alex."

Ginny had to resist the urge to let out a little 'aw' as she watched them. Harry looked as though he was actually lightening up a bit around Alex. She could only hope he could connect as well with Teddy and the other children, as well, and hopefully convince him that Harry _didn't _hate them.

"Come on, you two," she said, putting her hand on the cool railing. "I'll show you the playroom."

She led the way up the stairs, ears perked to listen in as Harry whispered to Alex. The little boy's laughter echoed up the staircase, occasionally punctured by a short laugh from Harry.

Ginny was delighted at this obvious improvement. At least one of the children accepted Harry. She was still deeply disturbed by Teddy's analysis of his relationship with Harry, and something was obviously wrong with Faith. Victoire was more or less polite to him, but Ginny could tell that she was wary of Harry, maybe even a little bit scared. While that was to be expected of the children, Ginny hoped it was something she would be able to change tonight.

Reaching her brother's old bedroom, she pushed open the door and poked her head inside.

The room had been completely cleared out of all the twins'… _belongings_… and replaced with a long, bright yellow sofa, white carpeting, and piles and piles of toys. Blocks and Legos were thrown haphazardly around the room, and a half-finished puzzle sat in the corner. A bookshelf stacked high with books such as "Trayton's First Wand" and "The Tales of Mildred the Muggle" stood against one wall. A TV was set up in the corner upon the insistence of Mr. Weasley and much assistance from Hermione.

Faith was curled up on the sofa, nose-deep in a thick Muggle novel. She had gone into her 'reading zone', her eyes flicking across the page at a quick speed. She was an avid reader, and once she was in the middle of a good book she couldn't be interrupted. Honing her ability to tune out everything and focus on the story was a skill she had been working on for years.

Teddy and Victoire were sitting around a bucket of Legos, building a tall structure out of the multi-colored blocks.

"_I _think it looks like a skyscraper," Victoire was saying as she stuck a square on top. "Like in New York."

"You haven't been to New York," Teddy said, frowning at her.

"Daddy's shown me pictures," Victoire said, sticking one of her arms into the tub. "America is _really _big, and there's all these ginormous buildings and bright yellow cars-"

"Yellow cars?" Teddy asked, surprised.

"Yeah!" Victoire said excitedly. "Teckis, I think they're called."

Faith let out a long sigh, flipping a page. "Taxis, Victoire."

Victoire grinned at the older girl. "Yeah, Taxis! That's what they were called! And they drive people wherever they want for money."

"I want a taxi!" Teddy said eagerly.

Victoire shrugged, examining a red Lego. "Maybe you'll get one for your birthday."

"Toys!" Alex suddenly cried from Harry's arms, still wearing the glasses.

All the kids looked up, different expressions crossing their faces. Faith was frowning, while Teddy and Victoire merely looked slightly surprised that Alex seemed so comfortable around the stranger that had suddenly come into their lives.

"Er- Harry, why don't you go take Alex and play with the blocks?" Ginny asked, pointing to the pile of wooden squares on the other side of the room.

"Alright," Harry muttered, walking over and leaning down to set Alex on the floor next to the blocks.

Ginny crossed over to the sofa and sat down next to Faith, sinking into the cushions next to the teen. Teddy and Victoire had gone back to their Lego tower, talking in slightly subdued voices and shooting occasional glances at Harry and Alex.

"Watcha reading?" Ginny asked Faith quietly, hoping to get an answer out of the girl.

Faith glanced up at Ginny, eyebrows raised. "It's a fantasy book," she said shortly, turning back to the book.

Ginny sighed, shifting on the couch so she could look at Faith better. "Okay, what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Faith said absentmindedly, not looking at Ginny.

"Faith," Ginny said in a warning voice.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Faith shut her book, turning to look at Ginny with an annoyed expression. "I just… don't like him, alright?" she said in a quiet, harsh voice.

"Who, Harry?" Ginny asked, surprised. "Why not?"

Faith clenched her jaw. "You all talk about him like he's a hero or something. About how he defeated Voldemort when he was seventeen, rescued you from that giant snake when you were eleven; and then you tell me he just ran off after the war while everyone still needed him? If you ask me, that's not heroism. That's cowardice," Faith snapped. "And then he just _shows up _six years later and wants everyone's forgiveness? And you're so _eager _to give it to him! Hermione's the only one who's really taking his re-appearance the way I would have expected everyone to. Well, I don't want anything to do with him," she finished, crossing her arms and turning away from Ginny.

Ginny let out a long sigh, momentarily shutting her eyes. "Faith," she said sternly, catching the girl in a stern gaze. "I understand why you feel this way, but you honestly don't understand. Harry was under a lot of pressure, and he didn't know how to handle it. He didn't behave the way I had hoped he would, but if there's one thing Harry Potter isn't, it is _cowardly_."

"I haven't had any proof otherwise," Faith shot at her.

"Faith-"

"I'm tired," she said, standing up. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Faith turned and stalked over to the door, yanking it open and making sure to slam it shut behind her.

Ginny gently rubbed her temples, exasperated. She hadn't known Faith's issues with Harry ran this deep. But there had to be away to get through to her… right?

"Ginny?" asked a small voice.

Ginny opened her eyes to see Teddy standing in front of her. He held out two Lego bricks that were stuck firmly together, blinking up at her with one green eye and one brown eye.

"Yes, Teddy?" Ginny asked in a weary voice.

"I can't get these two bricks unstuck," Teddy explained. "Can you help me?"

Holding down a sigh, Ginny took the two bricks from him. She stuck her fingernail in the miniscule crack, trying to pry the red and blue bricks apart, but they were stuck firm.

Ginny gave up, handing it back to the disappointed boy. "Sorry, Ted. I can't do it. Why don't you ask Harry?"

Teddy's hair turned red, and his eyes widened. "Um, no, I don't really need these bricks anyways," he muttered, turning them over in his hands.

Ginny shook her head, smiling gently at him. "It's fine, Teddy. Just go ask him, I'm sure he'll be able to help you."

"Ginny," Teddy whined.

Ginny gave him a little push in Harry's direction. "Go on, just go ask him."

Shooting Ginny one last mutinous look, Teddy started shuffling over to where Alex and Harry were playing with the blocks. Alex was building a tower, with Harry assisting when needed and stopping the little boy from sticking the wood in his mouth.

Hesitantly, Teddy tapped on Harry's shoulder. "Um… Harry?" he asked awkwardly.

Harry turned around, looking surprised. "Oh, uh- yes, Teddy?" he asked, obviously nervous.

Teddy thrust the Legos out, not meeting Harry's eyes. "I can't get them unstuck," he muttered, his hair turning an even deeper red.

Harry hesitated before gently reaching out and taking the pieces. After a moment, he held them back out, separated. "There you go," he said lightly.

Teddy snatched back the pieces. "Thanks," he mumbled, turning to leave.

"Teddy?" Harry asked quickly, stopping the little boy. He wasn't sure why he was calling Teddy back; he just didn't want him to leave quite yet.

Teddy glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes turning a shade of blue.

Unconsciously, Harry felt a smile split onto his face. "You're just like your mother," he mused.

Teddy frowned, turning around to fully face his godfather. "Mum?" he asked, cocking his head.

Harry nodded, ignoring the pang that went through his heart that he associated with speaking about Tonks and Remus. "Yes. I remember she used to changer her appearance all the time to make everyone laugh. She especially enjoyed a pigs snout; in my fifth year, she would do it at the dinner table. Mrs. Weasley thought it was rather un-ladylike, but I'm sure your dad found it very amusing."

Teddy let out a soft giggle. "A pig snout?" he asked, looking amused.

Harry laughed. "Oh, yes. And a ducks bill, sometimes." Harry straightened his glasses, smiling down at Teddy. "Your mother was wonderful."

Teddy grinned up at Harry, then his smile died as he realized who he was talking to. Looking down at the Lego bricks, Teddy shuffled his feet, kicking at the carpet.

Harry's happy expression dropped from his face. He glanced across the room, meeting Ginny's eye. He gave her a desperate look, his eyes pleading.

Ginny gave him a grim smile. 'Talk to him', she mouthed, shrugging.

Turning back to Teddy, Harry cleared his throat. "Teddy?" he asked, catching the boy's attention. "Can I talk to you?"

Teddy bit his lip, avoiding Harry's eyes again. "I guess," he said quietly, dropping the Legos to the carpet and instead wringing his hands.

Harry turned to Alex, leaning down to look him in the eye. "Hey, Alex? Do you want to go play with your sister?"

Alex looked up from his blocks, blinking. "Sissy?" he asked.

"Sissy," Harry agreed.

A toothy grin slid onto his face, and he clambered to his feet. "Okay!" he said happily, tottering over to Victoire and her tower of Legos. The 'skyscraper' was now almost as tall as her, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach the top.

Harry stood up and crossed the room in three strides, opening the door for Teddy. Nervously, Teddy exited the room, shooting back glances at Ginny and Victoire.

Harry pulled the door shut behind them. It was dark in the hallway, the only light a thin strip under the playroom door. Seeing as he couldn't even make out his godson's bright red hair, Harry decided that it wasn't the best place to have a heart-to-heart talk.

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen," he said, making his way down the dark stairs. After a moment he heard the telltale creak of the wooden stairs as Teddy followed after him.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Harry waved his hand in the air. The lights flickered on, bathing the two in a golden glow and illuminating the room. Teddy stood in the doorway, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light.

Harry crossed the room to the cabinets and pulled it open. Sticking his hand in and searching around for a moment, he extracted two mugs and placed them on the counter.

"Hot chocolate?" he asked Teddy, pulling out his wand.

"Yes, please," Teddy said shyly, clambering into a seat at the kitchen table.

Harry waved his wand over the two cups, and the warm drink filled the mugs. Harry carried the steaming cups over to the table and set one down in front of Teddy before sitting opposite him with his own mug.

Teddy grabbed his cup of hot chocolate, wrapping both hands around it. He swung his legs back and forth, staring into his swirling drink.

Harry observed his godson quietly. He looked so small sitting in that high-backed chair, clutching onto his mug of hot chocolate. His hair had mellowed out into a soft shade of red, almost pink. Inexperienced with being a metamorphmagus, his hair often changed with his emotions. He would need a bit more control over his special skills before that habit would stop.

"So, Teddy," Harry said lightly, breaking the silence that had engulfed the room, "how have you been?"

Teddy shrugged, not looking up from his drink.

Harry gave him a small smile, recalling an experience from his third year. "I haven't poisoned the hot chocolate, you know," he said lightly.

Teddy glanced up at him before taking a sip from his cup. When he set it down, he had a tiny grin on his face.

"Good?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Very," Teddy nodded.

Harry took a sip from his own cup, surveying the six year old. "How's your grandmother?" he asked.

Teddy bit his lip, his happy mood diminishing. "She's sick all the time," he informed Harry, scratching at the table.

A frown crossed Harry's face. "She is?"

Teddy nodded. "Yes. I've overheard a lot of people saying that she's not going to live very long."

Harry started. He couldn't believe that Teddy was acting so… mature for his age. He seemed that he was growing up far too fast; and it reminded Harry far too much of his own childhood for his liking.

"Teddy, don't say that; of course she'll be alright," Harry said softly, frowning across the table at Teddy.

Teddy glanced up, a pout forming on his face. "Why do you care?" he mumbled.

Harry blinked, eyebrows furrowing. "What did you say?"

Teddy looked at his godfather head-on, a determined expression on his face. "I said, why do you care?" he asked in a high voice.

"Teddy- you're my godson, I-"

"You don't care about me," Teddy said stubbornly, "otherwise you never would have left."

"Teddy, don't think that-" Harry tried to reach across the table and grasp Teddy's hand, but Teddy pulled away, his lip quivering.

"No, you left me!" he said, his voice rising ever so slightly. "You didn't _want _me!"

"Teddy, no-!"

Teddy's eyes widened and he stared at Harry, a look of realization crossing his face. Tears brimmed in his eyes. "Did you leave because of me?" he asked softly. "Because you didn't want me? Didn't want to have to deal with me? Because you didn't love me?"

Harry could practically feel his heart break as he listened to his godson's words. Only know did he realize the repercussions of his rash decision to run away were much greater than he had first thought. He had known his disappearance would cause a rift between him and all of his friends, and he had known he and Ginny wouldn't have a chance afterwards. There was no way she would accept him back after he abandoned her. But to sit here and hear that his own _godson, _the boy he was supposed to love like a _son, _say that Harry didn't love him… it was devastating. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Remus and Tonks would react if they had known how badly Harry had failed them. They had chosen him, Harry, above everyone else, trusting him to take care of and love their son, and Harry had thrown it all away. Their trust, Teddy's love… he had given everything up on that one, stupid night. The night that had  
ruined his relationship with everyone he loved.

Harry stared wordlessly at the little boy, whose hair had turned a shade of light blue that reflected the sorrow he was feeling. Tears spilled out of his eyes, flowing freely down his cheeks. Now that he had spoken his mind, it seemed that he regretted it. Teddy was determinedly looking away from his godfather, refusing to meet his eyes.

Harry stood up, hurrying over to where his godson was seated. He kneeled down next to the chair, trying to catch his godson's eyes.

"Teddy," Harry said desperately. "Teddy, please look at me."

Reluctantly, Teddy dragged his tear-stained face up to meet Harry's green eyes.

Harry swallowed thickly. "Do you- do you really think that?" he asked in a choked voice.

Teddy frowned through his tears, looking kind of confused. "Well… yes," he said.

Harry shook his head. "Teddy, that's not true. I didn't run away because I didn't love you, I promise. I never should have left you."

If anything, Teddy just looked more confused. "Then why _did _you leave?" he asked in a small voice.

Harry hesitated. "I was going through a hard time," he said quietly. "I was young, very young, Teddy, and I couldn't handle everything being thrust at me. I wanted to stay, I did, but I made a mistake. I left, and I've regretted it ever since."

Teddy slowly shook his head, looking torn, like he wanted to believe Harry but couldn't. The look on his godson's face made Harry even more determined to convince the boy that he did love him.

"Teddy…" Harry paused, hesitated, then continued. "You're partly right. You are one of the reasons I left." When Teddy took a deep breath and looked as if he was about to start sobbing, Harry quickly hurried on. "But not because I didn't want you! I was… Oh, Teddy, I was afraid."

Teddy took a deep breath, trying to get himself under control. "_You _were afraid?" he asked incredulously.

"I was terrified," Harry said. "I was terrified that I wouldn't be good enough for you. That I wouldn't be able to take care of you. I didn't have a good childhood, Teddy, and I wanted yours to be better than mine. And I thought the only way I could really make sure you were happy was if I left, leaving you to someone more capable than I was. But now I realize that it was a mistake."

Teddy stared at Harry, a hopeful expression dawning on his face. "But…" he trailed off.

"Teddy, your parents made me your godfather for a reason. I knew from the first time that I even heard about you that I loved you very, very much. And my feelings haven't changed at all. I love you, Teddy, don't you ever doubt that for a second."

Teddy let out a muffled cry and threw his arms around Harry's shoulders, clinging onto him. Without hesitating, Harry wrapped his godson in a tight hug. Teddy's shoulders shook with sobs and he buried his face in Harry's shirt.

Harry gently rubbed the boy's back, trying to calm him down. "Shh, Teddy, it's alright, I'm here, calm down…"

They sat like that for a long time, holding onto each other and trying to gain a grip on their emotions. Eventually, Teddy's shoulders stopped shaking, and he calmed down, his breathing slowing.

Harry felt a change in the boy's demeanor, a certain calmness settling around the room. "Teddy?" he asked, slowly pulling back to look at his godson.

Teddy's eyes were shut, his breathing deep and even. Hands still tangled in the fabric of Harry's shirt, the six-year old had fallen asleep in his godfather's arms, at peace for the first time since Harry's arrival.

Smiling, Harry gingerly stood up. With a wave of his hand, the mugs of hot chocolate disappeared from the table. Trying not to disturb the sleeping boy, Harry exited the kitchen, making his way back up the stairs. He made sure to avoid the creaky stairs, not wanting that to disturb Teddy.

Not sure on where Teddy slept when he was here, Harry just carried him into Ron's old room. Quietly untangling the small hands from his shirt, he laid Teddy down in the bed and drew the covers around him. Teddy let out a small noise, clenching his fists tightly before settling back into a deep sleep.

Harry looked down at his godson, feeling a sense of pride settle over him. Was this what it felt like to have a son? To feel so proud, so sure that this child would become your entire life?

Harry leaned over and softly pressed a kiss to Teddy's forehead. "Goodnight, Teddy," he whispered into the peaceful silence. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

**A/N: Awwww! I think I messed up a few times in their big 'moment', but on the whole I thought it was pretty sweet. I'll have more on Faith in the next chapter, but at least you now know how she feels about Harry.**

**Thanks for reading! Please take the time to leave a nice review; criticism is welcome, but no flames, please. **

**I'll have the next chapter up soon!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Harry returned to the playroom, running a tired hand through his hair. Gently pushing the door open, he peeked inside. Illuminated by the soft light in the room, Harry could see Victoire and Alex sitting next to the Legos. Victoire appeared to be trying to talk Alex through how to put the plastic pieces together, but Alex seemed to be more amused with knocking it over.

Ginny was curled up on the couch, skimming through a book without really reading it. She heard the door creak slightly and looked up to see Harry poking his head in, looking tired.

"Harry," Ginny said, setting the book down and standing up. Quickly crossing the room, she lowered her voice to speak in hushed tones. "Where's Teddy?" she asked, peering into the dark hall as if she thought it was hiding the little boy.

Harry tilted his head in the direction of Ron's room. "Sleeping," he said. "He fell asleep downstairs."

Ginny frowned, searching her old friend. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. "You look tired. How did things go with Teddy?"

Harry shook his head, shutting his eyes momentarily. "I'm fine," he said. "Just a bit… worn out. Ginny, were you aware that Teddy thought I didn't love him?"

Ginny shuffled her feet guiltily, not meeting Harry's eyes. "Well, I might have known…" she muttered. "Did you speak to him?"

Harry opened his eyes again, the bright green seemingly glowing in the dark. "Yeah, I spoke to him," he said heavily. "I think we're okay now, but as I said, he fell asleep pretty suddenly. I guess we'll have to see what happens in the morning."

Ginny gave him a small, encouraging smile. "I'm sure things will turn out fine," she said.

Harry shrugged, looking at the floor. His glasses flashed, the light from the playroom hitting them and bouncing off. For the first time since Ginny had met this new Harry, he seemed uncertain and genuinely scared. As much as Ginny wanted to feel smug that he was starting to regret running off all those years ago, she couldn't help but get a lump in her throat as she saw how sad he seemed. Gently placing an arm on his arm, she smiled again.

"Harry, trust me," she said firmly, "I know Teddy. Everything will work out fine; you'll see."

Harry didn't seem convinced, but he managed to pull up one side of his mouth in a crooked grin. "Alright," he said softly, "I'll trust you."

Squeezing his arm once, Ginny turned back to the playroom. "Alright," she announced loudly, "it's time for bed."

Victoire pouted. "But _Aunt Ginny-_" she tried to complain.

"No buts, Victoire," Ginny said firmly. "Now come one, let's go."

She scooped up Alex, who giggled again and poked her cheeks giddily, and reached out her hand to Victoire. Grudgingly, the blond-haired girl took her aunt's hand and trailed along behind her.

Ginny took the children down the hall and pushed open a door. "They sleep here," she quietly called over her shoulder to Harry.

Victoire pushed past her and ran inside, jumping onto one of the three beds. One was already occupied by Faith, but she appeared to be sleeping. Ginny could only see the back of her black hair. Now that Victoire had left the playroom, she seemed pretty excited to get to bed. Ginny rolled her eyes fondly. _Kids._

"Alright, Alex," Ginny said, trying to keep her voice low so as not to wake Faith. She walked over to the large dresser set against the other side of the wall. "You ready to go beddy-bye?"

Alex didn't respond, instead leaning his head back to watch the ceiling fan twirl around lazily with a fascinated look on his face. _Oh, Merlin, he's taking after Dad,_ Ginny thought absentmindedly, pulling on one of the handles to open the dresser.

Ginny rifled through the drawers until she came up with a set of blue pajamas. She gently set Alex down in his crib and tugged his little shirt off, replacing it with the soft pajama one. After repeating this with his pants, she laid the little boy down in the soft sheets.

"Goodnight, Alex," she said, gently smoothing back the boys' red hair and smiling down at him.

Alex frowned, looking up at his aunt and sticking out his bottom lip. "Uncle Harry," he said, blinking his big blue eyes.

Ginny shook her head. "Uncle Harry can't play with you right now, Alex. It's time to go to bed."

Alex's tiny brows furrowed. "Uncle Harry!" he said stubbornly.

Giving up, Ginny put her hands in the air and turned to the doorway. "Alright, alright, Uncle Harry," she said, walking over to the doorway. Peeking out into the hall, she caught Harry exiting the playroom. "Harry?" she called.

Harry glanced over at her, eyebrows raised. "Yes?" he asked.

"Alex wants to say goodnight," Ginny said, jerking a finger into the room.

She led Harry inside and stood back as he walked over to the crib.

"Hey, Alex," Harry said, leaning over the edges of the rails to look inside.

Alex grabbed his feet, smiling up at Harry. "Uncle Harry!" he cheered, beaming.

Harry chuckled, reaching in to pick up the little boy. Lifting him over the rails, Harry held him tightly and looked down at him. "It's time to go to bed, Alex," he said softly, gently rocking the boy back and forth.

Alex frowned. "I wanna play," he said in a childish voice.

"It's late," Harry said. "We'll play tomorrow, okay? Now you need to get your rest." He kept rocking Alex as he spoke, talking in quiet, hushed tones.

Alex was still frowning, but the look on his face was punctured as he let out a yawn. "Not tired," he complained in a tired voice.

"You look pretty tired," Harry said. "Come on, go to sleep, buddy."

Alex's eyes drooped, and he grabbed at the fabric of Harry's shirt like Teddy had done not even an hour ago, clutching it in one plump fist. Ginny watched as Alex's head started bobbing slightly as he fought against sleep.

"Not tired," he murmured again, half-asleep.

"Goodnight, Alex," Harry whispered.

Letting out another yawn, Alex's head settled against Harry's chest as he fell asleep, his breathing slow and even.

Moving very slowly, Harry lowered the boy back into the crib, gently laying him down. Alex didn't wake up, luckily, and he kept sleeping, an angelic look on his young face.

Harry let out a breath, turning back to Ginny, who was watching him. Seeing the look on her face, Harry frowned. "What?" he asked, almost defensively.

A small grin splitting her face, Ginny shook her head slowly. "You are fantastic with children," she said quietly.

Looking awkward, Harry shrugged. "I guess," he muttered.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Ginny turned to Victoire, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed and staring at Harry in surprise.

"Okay, your turn, Victoire," Ginny said, walking over to Victoire's bed. Faith hadn't moved an inch, still facing away from everyone, her shoulders rising and falling slowly as she breathed evenly.

Victoire lay down obediently, sticking her legs under the covers as Ginny pulled them up, tucking her in. Victoire stared up at her aunt as Ginny bent down to kiss her gently on the forehead.

"'Night, Victoire," Ginny said, starting to stand up.

"Aunt Ginny?"

Ginny was stopped by her niece's small voice calling up to her. Bending back down, Ginny came close to the young girl, her red hair falling across her eyes. "Yes?" she whispered.

Victoire bit her lip, hesitating. "Is Uncle Harry going to stay?" Victoire asked in a quiet voice.

Ginny hesitated. Of course, the first question Victoire asked was one of the only questions Ginny couldn't answer. _Would _Harry be staying after all this dark wizard stuff is over? That was the million dollar question; no matter how much Ginny hoped that he would stay, he had made his own life over the past six years. There's nothing holding him back here. Ginny had given up her dream of living happily ever after with the Boy-Who-Lived years and years ago, and she doubted she was going to get it back anytime soon.

"Why?" Ginny asked instead, stalling for time.

Victoire pursed her lips, looking slightly embarrassed. "I want him to," she said softly.

Ginny swallowed thickly, forcing a smile down at the girl. "I hope so," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She leaned down and pressed another kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Victoire."

"Good night, Aunt Ginny," Victoire muttered, shutting her eyes. In less than a minute she had fallen asleep, her face relaxing.

Ginny stood up and, treading quietly across the wood floor, circled over to Faith's bed. Just as she predicted, Faith's eyes were tightly shut, her breathing deep as she slept.

Ginny bent down and softly kissed Faith's forehead as well. "Goodnight, Faith," she whispered.

Harry was standing in the doorway, surveying the room and the children with calculating eyes. Ginny walked over to him, joining him in his silent watch over the kids.

"They're so young," Ginny said suddenly.

Harry sighed sadly, shaking his head. "We were all too young," he said in a flat voice. "I had to face my parent's murderer when I was eleven with barely any training; you were possessed in only your first year at school; I didn't even get to finish my last year at Hogwarts because the fate of the entire world was thrust upon me when I was seventeen. Do you think any of us were old enough to handle that?" He stared at the ground, his eyes going out of focus as he thought back to everything he had been through as a child.

Ginny ran a desperate hand through her hair, looking out over her nieces and nephew. She could almost feel Teddy's peaceful presence just down the hall, fast asleep, dreaming about the innocent things six year-olds thought of. Ginny shut her eyes sadly.

"But…" she said, her voice cracking.

Harry stirred at Ginny's voice, looking at her. Seeing how upset she was, he took her hand and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't worry," he said softly, "we'll take care of them. I'm not losing anyone else to war."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest and squeezing her eyes shut. They stood like that for a long time, enjoying each other's company and finding comfort. Ginny tried not to think about the many possibilities, the many outcomes of this war; for now, they were all safe, and that was what mattered at that moment.

Eventually, she pulled herself out of Harry's embrace, offering him a small smile. "Come on," she said, "we should get to bed."

Harry glanced into the hall. "I need to do some work," he said, "make a few more Floo calls. You go on."

Ginny frowned. "Harry, you look exhausted."

Harry waved her away. "I'm fine," he said. "Besides, if I want to figure out who these wizards are, I need to get to work. There'll be time to sleep later." When Ginny still looked hesitant, Harry smiled slightly. "Go," he said, motioning down the hall.

Ginny looked at all the sleeping children one last time, casting a last glance at them, before turning. "Alright," she said. "Goodnight, Harry; try to get some sleep, okay?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll try, Ginny," he said, shutting the door.

Ginny threw one last smile over her shoulder before retreating to her bedroom. Harry stared after her for a minute before turning to head downstairs. He had a lot of work to do tonight, and a lot of Floo calls to make.

Back in the children's room, Faith lay on her side, her eyes wide open. She stared at the wall, contemplating everything that she had overheard, and everything she had learned about Harry Potter.

It was a long time before she got to sleep that night.

* * *

Ginny woke up early the next morning when the sun was just rising above the horizon. Outside the sky was a pale pink color tinged with bright orange streaks, and the sun was nothing but a bright yellow sliver peeking over the distant hills.

Ginny padded downstairs and into the kitchen, her hair a rat's nest perched upon her head. Blinking sleep from her eyes, she emerged into the chilly kitchen. The first thing she saw when she entered was Harry sitting at the table with a quill and parchment, scribbling something down. His hair was messy, and he held his head up with his hand.

"Morning," he said without looking up, frowning down at the parchment.

"Good morning," Ginny said, walking over to sit next to him. She tried to peek a look at the parchment, but as soon as she sat down, he flipped it over, turning to look at her.

Ginny frowned. "You look horrible," she said, taking in the bags under his eyes and his pale face.

Harry chuckled softly. "You sound like Hermione used to," he muttered.

Ginny ignored him. "Did you get any sleep at all?" she asked  
disapprovingly.

Harry sighed heavily. "I had a lot of work to do," he said.

Ginny crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I told you to get some sleep!" she scolded him.

"And I told you I had to do some work," Harry snapped at her, lack of sleep making him irritable.

Ginny scowled and stood up, crossing over to the pantry. "You're impossible," she spat over her shoulder.

"So I've heard," Harry muttered. Ginny heard the scratching of a quill, which told her that he had returned to his work as soon as she had gone. That didn't help Ginny's rising temper.

Irritably throwing open the cupboard, she looked through it until she pulled out a tin of cookies. Opening the lid, she grabbed one of the pastries and set the container on the counter. Munching on one of her mother's famous chocolate chip cookies, Ginny sat back down at the table, glaring at Harry as he hid his work again.

"Why are you so secretive?" she asked, picking at a chocolate chip.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not secretive," he said.

"Yes, you are!" Ginny said. "I thought we were supposed to be a team. You know, work together and all that stuff."

Harry folded the parchment, pushing his quill aside. " Just a letter I needed to write to some old friends," he said, "nothing big."

"Sure," Ginny muttered doubtfully, taking another angry bite of her cookie.

There were footsteps behind them, and the two of them turned to see Faith entering the kitchen. She was dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, and her hair was as messy as Ginny's. She shot a quick glance at Harry before looking back at the floor. "Morning," she muttered sullenly, walking over to the cupboards.

"Good morning, Faith," Ginny said quietly, still sending sharp looks at Harry.

Faith reached for the open tin of cookies, grabbing her own. She broke it in half, popping one piece in her mouth and chewing on it.

Ginny frowned at her, holding a last piece of her own cookie. "Faith, you know you're not supposed to have dessert before breakfast," she said disapprovingly.

Faith raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical of you?" she asked, glancing at Ginny's cookie.

Ginny glared at her. "That's different," she said. "I'm an _adult,_" she said proudly.

Harry snorted, and Ginny turned her glare on him. "Shut _up_, Harry!" she snapped at him.

Harry held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say anything!" he defended.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I hate you," she muttered, popping the last of her cookie in her mouth.

"Okay," Faith said slowly, watching them with a confused look. "Now that you two are done… whatever, what's for breakfast?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Wait for your grandma to wake up, she can cook."

"But I'm hungry _now_," Faith complained.

"Have another cookie," Ginny suggested.

Faith raised an eyebrow. "You just said I couldn't have a cookie," she pointed out.

"Oh, just shut up and take it!" Ginny said, exasperated. "I give up."

Looking rather pleased with herself, Faith grabbed a couple more cookies out of the cookie tin and joined the two at the table. "When are Hermione and Ron coming over?" she asked, shoveling a cookie into her mouth.

Ginny leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. Maybe it had been a mistake wearing only shorts and a tank top in this cold weather. "Knowing Hermione, probably fifteen minutes," she said. "You know her: 'The early bird catches the worm!'" she rolled her eyes. "Drives us all crazy. She said she'd be here bright and early too, and it's nearly six o'clock already. She should be here."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Ginny?" they heard Hermione shout.

"Told you so," Ginny said, standing up. Rubbing her hands together to brush the crumbs off, she made her way to the front door.

"You're here early," she said, opening the door to reveal an impatient looking Hermione and a half asleep Ron.

"Yes, well, the early bird catches the worm!" Hermione said, brushing past her to get inside. "Now, let's get down to business."

"Hermione," Ron moaned, "can we please get something to eat? Or better yet, go _back to sleep_?"

Hermione glared at him. "Oh, man up, Ron. It's not even that early."

"It's six in the morning!" Ron complained loudly. "And I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

Ginny and Hermione ignored him. "Come on, Faith and Harry are in the kitchen," she said, leading the way.

When they walked in, Faith was still eating cookies, and Harry had gone back to his parchment. _He doesn't seem to have a problem with Faith sitting there when he's working,_ Ginny thought irritably, walking over to the table and sitting down.

Harry glanced up briefly. "Morning," he said distractedly, scratching down something in the corner of his paper.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Good morning," she said stiffly, not looking at Harry.

Ron gave Harry an awkward smile. "Morning," he muttered, walking over to the cookie tin and glancing inside. "Hey!" he said. "Who ate all the cookies?"

Faith finished the last cookie. "Ginny did," she said.

Ron spun on his sister. "Ginny!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're joking, right?"

Harry set down his quill, quickly scanning the letter. "Alright," he said, picking it up and starting to fold it. "Ginny, do you have an owl I can borrow?"

"Yeah," Ginny said. She walked over to a big cage in the corner holding a fast asleep owl. "This is Yolanda," she said opening the cage door. The brown owl inside opened its eye with an annoyed look.

Harry raised an eyebrow, scribbling something across the front of his folded letter. "_Yolanda_?"

"Victoire," Ginny explained, holding out her hand for the letter. Harry dropped it into her hand, and Ginny placed the letter in Yolanda's beak.

As she gave the letter to the bird, she caught the name Harry had hastily scrawled across the front in his messy writing. _Hannah. _Ginny pursed her lips, picking up Yolanda and carrying her to the window. Who was Hannah? She couldn't be Harry's… _you know,_ right? No, she couldn't be…

When Yolanda was out of sight, Ginny turned back to the awkward silence that filled the kitchen. Hermione was still refusing to look at Harry, and Ron was rummaging through the cupboards for something to eat.

There was a yawn from the doorway. Teddy walked in, rubbing his eyes with his fists and still looking half-asleep. His green hair was tousled from sleep.

"Teddy!" Ginny said in surprise, walking over to him. "What are you doing up this early?"

Teddy blinked up at her. "I heard voices," he said.

Ginny sighed. "Sorry, Teds."

"It's alright," Teddy said, padding over to the table and scrambling into a seat next to his godfather.

Harry smiled almost nervously down at him. "Morning Teddy," he said softly.

Teddy beamed up at Harry. "Good morning, Harry!"

Ginny's lips quirked into a smile as she watched a relieved expression wash over Harry's face. Clearing her throat, she gained the attention of the rest of the room.

"So, what are we doing today?" she asked.

"We're going shopping for food," Ron said in a muffled voice, his head stuck in a cabinet.

Hermione rolled his eyes. "Oh, Ron," she sighed. "I contacted Hagrid and McGonagall at Hogwarts. I expect they want to see you," she said to Harry, frowning at him.

"Merlin," Ginny muttered, "I don't think I want to be here for that."

Ron took his head out of the cupboard, frowning. "Are you sure it's the best idea to have both of them here at the same time?" he asked.

"It'll be fine," Hermione said coolly. "And besides, it's Harry that'll have to face them, not us."

Harry shot a look at her, which was promptly ignored.

"Anyways," she continued, "I sent the letter last night. McGonagall's reply came early this morning; she said that she and a couple others would be here around eight."

"Er- a couple others?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Is your mother up yet?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Yes, she's up," came a voice behind them. Mrs. Weasley shuffled into the room, smiling at them all. "Good morning, dears. Do you want some breakfast?"

"Yes!" Faith, Teddy, and Ron exclaimed.

Mrs. Weasley made her way over to the stove and pulled out a pan. "How did everyone sleep?" she asked, opening the refrigerator and pulling out the eggs.

Ginny crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "Yeah, Harry," she said, "how did you sleep?"

"I slept fine," Harry said coolly, rubbing a tired hand across his face.

"No, he didn't!" Ginny snapped. "This prat was so busy doing work he didn't get to sleep!"

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. "You need your sleep!"

"I understand, Mrs. Weasley, but there were things I needed to get done," Harry said. "I promise that I will catch up on sleep when I have the time. For now, the most important thing is keeping everyone safe."

"Well, you can't keep everyone sleep if you're falling asleep during moments of crisis!" Ginny said irritably, glaring at him.

Harry turned his hardened gaze on her. "I will _not _be falling asleep during moments of crisis, Ginny," he said flatly. "I can handle myself, you know."

"Sure you can," Hermione muttered.

"Alright," Mrs. Weasley said loudly, interrupting the argument brewing, "let's all settle down."

Teddy was blinking around at everyone, confused, and Faith looked exasperated. Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and a dozen eggs cracked themselves into the large pan set on the burners. With another wave, a pack of bacon flopped into the neighboring pan, and the sizzle and smell of frying bacon filled the room.

Fifteen rather awkward minutes later, Mrs. Weasley had set everyone up with plates of eggs and bacon. Victoire and Mr. Weasley had wandered down at different times and joined everyone at the already crowded table.

After everyone had managed to scarf down their breakfast, knocking elbows with the people sitting next to them, Hermione sat back and glanced at the clock. "7:45," she said, "Professor McGonagall will be here soon."

Ginny jumped up. "Fifteen minutes?" she asked. "Shoot, I need to get ready." She spun around and sprinted upstairs to her bedroom, well aware that she was still in the same thing she had slept in and her hair had, if anything, gotten worse over the past few hours she had been awake. It was one thing to talk with your family like this, but quite another to try to have a civilized conversation with your old professor dressed like you had just crawled out of bed.

Once in her room, Ginny tugged on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. Grabbing her brush, she spent five minutes dragging it through her fiery hair, trying desperately to make it lie flat.

Finally, when her hair hung in straight curtains down her back, she emerged from her room. After quickly peeking into the bedroom to make sure Alex was still fast asleep, she hurried down the stairs.

Everyone was waiting in the living room. Harry sat on the couch with Teddy. The little boy had donned bright yellow hair and an easy smile, and was chatting animatedly to Harry. Hermione and Ron were talking together in the corner; Hermione was frowning again, and it didn't take Ginny long to guess what they were talking about.

Ginny glanced at the clock, grinning. "Hah," she said to herself, "two minutes to spare."

She walked down, trailing her hand on the banister, and joined Victoire, who was just kind of standing there smoothing her shirt.

"Hey Victoire," she said, joining her niece.

"Hi Aunt Ginny!" Victoire said, smiling up at her. "Is Hagrid coming over?" she asked excitedly.

"I believe so," Ginny said, "With Professor McGonagall and probably Uncle Neville. He should be here-"

There was a booming knock on the door, silencing all the conversations. Ginny looked at the clock again. 8:00.

"Now," she finished.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry if it was a bit uneventful, but I'm mostly setting up the next chapter. That'll have a lot of the other characters we haven't seen yet (like Hagrid and McGonagall and Neville and-), the introduction of a brand new one, and probably a confrontation between Harry and Hermione. So the next one will be a big chapter!**

**Who do you think this 'Hannah' is? And what's her relationship with Harry? Questions, questions…**

**Thanks for reading, and for all the great reviews! I hope you all enjoyed the bit of fluff and more of Hermione's anger with Harry. Come on, I would be pretty peeved too if my best friend just left like that, wouldn't you?**

**Please take the time to review! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla **


	14. Chapter 14

**One thing before I start: I'm changing some of the character's spouses. As I said before, this is a fanfiction, and not everything will be canon. This is what I believed would happen, who everyone would marry, and I know it's not what JK Rowling planned, but that's what I'm doing. Just making that clear so I don't get any messages telling me I got it wrong. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Ginny hurried over to the door, throwing it open. She was met with a huge, hairy face beaming down at her.

"Hagrid!" Ginny greeted as she opened the door wide and pressed herself against the wall to allow Hagrid room to get in. "How are you?"

"Hello, Ginny," Hagrid said, shouldering his way into the Burrow. "Ah, same ol'. One of me unicorns died las' week-"

"Oh, Hagrid, I'm so sorry-"

"It's alrigh'," Hagrid said, waving her off with a huge hand. "Unicorns only live so long. Now then- Hermione sent me a letter tellin' me Harry was back. Is it true?"

Hagrid's eyes were shining with excitement and hope. Ginny knew that he had missed the Boy-Who-Lived nearly as much as she herself had; and Hagrid, no matter how positive he was that Harry was going to be back, had been extraordinarily worried about the boy.

"Yeah," Ginny said quietly, "he is."

"I knew it!" Hagrid exclaimed loudly, bursting past her into the living room.

"Hagrid!" Ginny tried to call after him, but the half-giant was far too distracted; he had just caught sight of Harry sitting on the couch.

"HARRY!" Hagrid roared, striding forward in two steps and grabbing Harry, lifting him into a bone-breaking hug. "There yeh are! Yeh came back, I knew yeh'd come back!"

"Yes," Harry choked, eyes wide. He patted Hagrid awkwardly on the shoulder, taking in shallow breaths. "I missed you too, Hagrid, but I can't... can't breathe-"

"Oh- righ'," Hagrid said, sheepishly dropping Harry to the ground. Harry landed flat on his feet, breathing heavily and rubbing his bruised ribs.

"Thank you," he sighed, air rushing back into his lungs as he fixed his glasses.

"Potter," snapped a voice from the doorway. Minerva McGonagall strode in, surveying the scene quickly, her eyes landing on Harry.

Her grey hair was pulled back into a sharp bun, not a strand escaping from it. Wrinkles lined her face, but her eyes were still as stern and sharp as they had been when Harry had attended school. Her lips were pressed into a flat line, and her nostrils were flared as she glared at Harry.

"Professor McGonagall," Harry said, standing up straighter and meeting his old professor's eye.

"Where have you _been_?" McGonagall hissed, striding forward. "What in the name of _Merlin _possessed you to do such a dunderhead thing as to _run away_, not telling anyone of your whereabouts- do you have any idea how _worried _we've all been- could have been _dead_-"

"I made a mistake," Harry said stiffly.

McGonagall's eyes flashed. "A mistake? A _mistake,_ Potter? You call dropping off the face of the Earth for six years a _mistake_? Of all the idiotic mistakes to make, you just had to choose this one, did you? I don't know what you were thinking, but-"

"I wasn't," Harry interrupted.

McGonagall frowned. "What?"

"I wasn't thinking," Harry said, inclining his head. "I'll admit to it."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "That much is obvious," she snapped at him. Then, her face softened a bit. "Potter?" she asked.

"Yes?" Harry asked warily, expecting another bout of yelling.

McGonagall looked him over. "It _is _good to see you again," she said, turning away.

Another head poked its way through the open doorway, raising his eyebrows at the sight that met his eyes. "What'd I miss?"

"Neville!" Ginny said, coming forward and wrapping her old friend in a hug. "Oh, I've missed you!"

"Hey, Gin," Neville said, returning the hug.

Ginny pulled back, looking up at the newly appointed Herbology professor at Hogwarts. "Where's Luna?" she asked, looking behind him as though he was hiding his wife there.

Neville waved her off. "She couldn't make it," he explained. "You have no idea how popular the Quibbler's getting, she's bombarded with owls almost every day. But that's a good sign, I guess, she said she'll be over later to say hello to Harry- speaking of which-"

"He's over there," Ginny said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

Neville's eyes quickly searched the room, finally falling on Harry. At the sight of his old friend, Neville's face broke into a grin. "Harry!" he cried, coming forward.

Harry blinked at the man. "Neville?" he asked, hardly recognizing the Gryffindor. He definitely wasn't the plump little boy Malfoy had picked on in school. He had grown taller and slimmer, although he was still an inch or two taller than Harry. Most of the baby fat on his face was gone, but his cheeks still flushed pink when he was excited, as they were now.

"You're back!" Neville said, giving his friend a quick hug. "I can't believe it! I mean, I knew you weren't dead or anything- who could kill you?- but I was starting to give up hope you'd ever come back! Should have known better!"

"Where've yeh been, Harry?" Hagrid asked, rejoining the conversation. He frowned down at Harry, his smile dying down a bit.

The chatter died down in the room. Teddy was still sitting on the couch, curiously looking up at Hagrid. Hermione was watching Harry with an odd expression on her face, one Ginny couldn't quite decipher.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, an act that made it even messier than it already was. "Sit down and I'll tell you," he finally sighed, "it's a bit of a story."

Ginny knelt down next to Teddy. "Hey, Teddy? Why don't you and Victoire go play up in the playroom while the grown-ups talk?"

Teddy stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. "But I wanna stay here!" he complained.

"It'll be boring," Ginny promised him. "I promise I'll come and get you when we're finished."

Teddy frowned. "Promise?" he asked.

Ginny nodded. "Promise," she said firmly.

After another moment of hesitation, Teddy nodded. Jumping up, he grabbed Victoire's hand and pulled her up the stairs, shooting a last glance over his shoulder at the adults gathering in the living room.

Ginny turned to Faith. The teenager's eyes immediately flashed and her temper flared as she got the implications of the look Ginny was sending her. "I will _not _go upstairs!" she snapped.

"Faith-"

"No!" Faith protested. "Charlie isn't here, he can't tell me what to do. I'm thirteen, and I have a right to know what's going on! I'm sick of being kept in the dark just because everyone thinks I'm too young! I know something's going on, and I want to know what." She stuck her chin stubbornly in the air, her eyes daring Ginny to force her out of the room.

As Ginny watched Faith, she recognized the look on her face. It was a look Ginny herself had worn as a kid. As the only girl in the family, she had been doted on and shielded from all the harm they could. And that often meant getting left out of things. She had never been allowed to play Quidditch as a child, as that could be counted on as too 'dangerous' for her. Luckily, she had been smart enough to sneak into the broomshed and practice herself. But when things started getting more serious and the Order of the Phoenix was brought together again, Ginny found herself getting left out of things more and more. As the youngest, she was the only one not eligible to listen in on important conversations, and found herself being sent to her room often to keep her out of things. Even in the final battle, when she could have helped, she had been confined to the Room of Requirement for half of the fighting, as everyone wanted her to be safe. Of course, she had escaped the first chance she had gotten, but that was beside the point. The point was, she knew exactly how Faith was feeling right now. And she knew what she had to do.

"Okay," Ginny said.

"I mean it!" Faith snapped. "I refuse to- wait, what?" Faith looked taken-aback by Ginny's agreement.

"Okay," Ginny repeated, "you can stay."

Faith frowned. "Really?"

"Really," Ginny assured her.

"You sure?" Faith asked, still looking doubtful. "This isn't like, a trick, or-"

"Go sit down, Faith," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Faith gave Ginny a small smile. "Thanks," she muttered, hurrying over to the sofa and sitting down. Mrs. Weasley shot the girl a disapproving look, but chose not to say anything. That was a wise decision.

Harry stood in front of everyone as Ginny slid into her seat. With an air of one who had explained the same story over and over again, he quickly summed up what he had been doing for the past six years. Again, he left out the drinking part, and again, Ginny stayed quiet.

Harry hesitated a bit, glancing at Faith, before launching into the explanation about the dark wizards that were threatening them. Faith's lips curved into a frown, but she didn't take her eyes off Harry as he spoke. Her eyes were sharp and calculating as she watched. Ginny could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said the second Harry had wrapped up his tale. "You're saying that there are wizards out there just waiting to kill all of us, and you didn't tell me?" She looked outraged, exactly what Ginny would expect from her.

Mrs. Weasley took the task of trying to placate the girl. "Dear," she said lightly, "you're still very young; we didn't want to alarm you."

"Alarm me?" Faith said, her eyes narrowing. She turned to Harry. "By the time you were thirteen, how many times had you faced Voldemort?"

Harry met her gaze head-on, and they seemed to be locked in a silent staring contest for a moment. "Technically, three times," he said, "but he was only sixteen in my second year. Still a formidable opponent, even at a young age, however."

If Faith was surprised by this, she didn't show it. "Exactly," she said. "When he was thirteen, he had already beaten Voldemort three times. So why shouldn't I know when people are threatening to kill me?"

"Faith," Mrs. Weasley said, her eyebrows furrowing, "those were much different times-"

"Don't try and play that card," Faith warned. "I have every right to know these things. I don't want to be kept in the dark anymore. From now on, I get to know everything that's happening with these wizards, even if you think I'm too young."

Mrs. Weasley immediately opened her mouth to protest, but Harry beat her to it.

"Deal," he said.

Both Faith and Mrs. Weasley turned to look at him, completely surprised for different reasons. Faith had her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, appearing to see him in a new light.

Mrs. Weasley, however, was glaring at him. "Harry Potter!" she reprimanded him. "She is thirteen, she shouldn't know these things! What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that everything Faith said is right," Harry said coolly, not backing down from Mrs. Weasley's famous Weasley-glare. "She has a right to know, and I'm not going to keep things a secret from her. As you can recall from my experiences, it is often the worst thing to do for a child, and they have… consequences."

He was, of course, referring to his fifth year, when everyone had seen fit to keep things a secret from him. And in the end, it had ended up killing his godfather. Harry obviously didn't want anything like that to happen again.

"Not knowing can be dangerous," he said quietly as Mrs. Weasley dropped her glare and looked at him worriedly. "I don't want anything to happen because she didn't know enough."

Faith was watching Harry, an openly curious expression on her face. Mrs. Weasley didn't respond, but looked away. Harry took that as her giving up, and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I hope that explains things," he said.

Neville frowned thoughtfully. "You've been busy," he said.

"Yeah," Harry said dryly. "I have."

"You know nothing at all about these wizards?" McGonagall asked in a sharp voice.

"As of the moment, no," Harry said. "We have theories, but there is much more we need to look into before we'll have any hard evidence against them. There are a few clues we need to follow up on, but we should know soon."

"Soon?" Hermione asked suddenly in a sharp voice. "Soon, huh? I don't know if I quite believe that, Potter. After all, it took you six years to even think about coming back and telling us you were still alive, and even then it took a big threat from other wizards to return. So I don't put much in stock by your 'soon'."

Harry's jaw clenched, something Ginny had noticed he did when he was stressed. Ron looked surprised by Hermione's outburst.

"Hermione, are you-"

"No, I am not okay, Ronald," Hermione snapped.

"Hermione, I think we need to talk," Harry said in a low voice.

Hermione glared at him. "I don't want to talk, Potter. I would prefer not to, actually."

"Yeah, well, I'm not asking you," Harry said, striding past her to the doorway. "We're talking whether you like it or not. Get in." He pointed into the kitchen, expression hard.

Hermione looked miffed at this command. Eyes flashing in anger, she stood up and stalked past him, entering the room. "Oh yes, we'll talk," she muttered. "I have a few choice words to say to you…"

Harry ignored her. Without another word to the rest of the family in the living room, he shut the door, locked it, and muttered "Muffliato", pointing his wand at the door.

"You know I don't like that spell," Hermione said stiffly, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"You were fine with using it when we were seventeen," Harry said, pocketing his wand.

"That was different," Hermione said in a sharp voice.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sure it was."

Hermione let out a slight hiss of breath. "I don't know what your definition of talking is, Potter, but I didn't come in here just to be insulted by you. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll just leave." She started towards the door, but Harry stepped in front of it.

"Neither of us is leaving until you tell me what's bothering you," he said calmly.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "What's bothering me?" she asked incredulously. "Seriously? As if you didn't know."

"I understand I upset you when I left-"

"_Upset me_?" Hermione hissed. "UPSET me? Do you honestly think you just _upset _me, Harry? Have you suffered a blow to the head lately, or are you just trying to annoy me?"

"Hermione, please-" Harry tried to say.

"No!" Hermione snapped. "Let me out of here, I want to leave." She tried to step around Harry, but was again blocked as Harry spread his arms across the door.

"I need to explain things, Hermione," Harry said. "I don't want to fight with you for the rest of my life."

"Harry, I swear, if you don't let me out-" Hermione warned.

"Will you listen for one minute?" Harry hissed at her, losing his patience.

"Let me OUT, HARRY!" Hermione shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hermione-"

"YOU ABANDONED ME!" Hermione shouted at him, successfully shutting Harry up. "I TRUSTED YOU! WE WERE BEST FRIENDS! I THOUGHT YOU, RON, AND I WERE IN EVERYTHING TOGETHER, BUT APPARENTLY I WAS MISTAKEN! YOU LEFT ME!"

Harry dropped his hands to his side, a pained expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps do something stupid like apologize, but Hermione was on a roll.

"I thought you were the ONE person I could rely on! Even when Ron and I fought, you were always there for me! You were the only person I could count on to never leave me alone, no matter what happened! Do you know how that felt, to have all that trust ripped away from you in one night? You left, and I didn't know why! It could have been anything… did you want a better life? Were you too struck by grief to stay around? Or… or could it have even been _my _fault?" Tears were streaming down Hermione's cheeks now, her face crumpling as her walls fell.

"Hermione," Harry said in a hushed voice, reaching forward as if to take her hand, but Hermione jerked away from him.

"You didn't even come to my wedding," she whispered. "Ron and I's wedding. Your supposed best friends. You… you would have been the best man, you could have been there for me, but you weren't. You… didn't come." Her voice was filled with pain, and Harry felt something snap inside of him.

"I was there," he said shortly.

Hermione's breath stopped, and she stared at Harry, eyes wide. "What?" she asked.

"I was there," Harry repeated, "under the invisibility cloak."

Hermione was speechless with disbelief. "You… you… why…" she tried to say.

Harry's lips twitched into a crooked smile. "I couldn't miss my best friends' wedding, now could I?" he asked quietly.

It was too much. Hermione burst into tears, running forward and throwing herself into Harry's arms. Harry wrapped her into his embrace, holding her close. "Shhh," he said, gently rubbing her back, "calm down, Hermione, you don't need to cry."

They stood there for at least ten minutes. Harry held Hermione as she cried, gripping the front of his shirt and burying her head in his chest. She sobbed, letting out everything that she had held in when he had disappeared. She had been strong for so long, holding in her feelings behind a front of anger, but now it was impossible to keep up any longer.

Eventually, her sobs died down until she was only crying, and then even that subsided into sniffles. She lifted her head very slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she muttered, letting go of Harry's wet t-shirt.

"Don't say that," Harry said quietly. "You know it's alright, I don't care." He hesitated slightly. "I didn't know you thought that way," he finally said.

Hermione muttered something incomprehensible, not meeting Harry's eyes. Her bushy hair fell across her face as she looked at the ground, obviously embarrassed about her emotional outburst.

Harry brushed back her hair so he could see her better. "I am so, so sorry," he said. "I never… you shouldn't think like that. My leaving was _not _your fault. I was just a stupid little boy. And I never intended to betray your trust; honestly, I… I didn't think it would be that much of a big deal, my leaving."

Hermione blinked up at him. "Why wouldn't it be a big deal?" she asked hoarsely. "Of course it would!"

Harry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know," he said. "I guess I just wasn't used to people caring about me. Eleven years with the Dursleys can do that to someone. I didn't know it would make you feel this way; if I had, I wouldn't have done it, honest."

Hermione frowned. "Harry…"

"I know you feel like I abandoned you," Harry said, "but I didn't, Hermione. I was always there, even though I didn't come out into the open. I was at your wedding, I saw everything; I was always checking in on you, I knew you were okay. I just… I thought that I had been gone too long. I thought it would be easier for everyone if I just stayed gone, I didn't want to mess everything up by coming back."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, you could never mess things up by coming back," she said softly. "We all wanted you to come back. _I _wanted you to come back."

"I know," Harry muttered. "I'm sorry."

Hermione took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. "I forgive you," she said quietly.

Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "What?" he asked.

Hermione opened her eyes again, giving him a small smile. "I don't like fighting with you, either," she said. "I'm willing to put this behind us if you are. Okay?"

Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

"Of course," Hermione said, grinning. "You _are _my best friend."

She leaned in and gave him a hug. Before he had fully returned it, she pulled back, her face stern.

"But if you _ever _pull a stunt like that again, I am going to find the nearest cliff and push you off of it," she warned him.

Harry chuckled, knowing that she was dead serious. "I know," he said. "I promise it won't happen again."

"Well," Hermione said lightly, stepping towards the door, "I suppose we should get back out there. So they know I haven't killed you or anything." She waved her wand, quickly removing the spells from the door, and pushed it open.

She stepped into the living room, followed closely by Harry. All talk in the living room was abruptly cut off. Everyone looked up from their conversations to see the two emerging from the kitchens. They hadn't heard a word of the conversation due to Harry's charms, and had been slightly worried for Harry's safety, although no one had said it out loud.

Nervously, Ron stood up. "Hermione?" he asked his wife cautiously. "You alright?"

Hermione gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, Ron," she said. "Harry and I have worked out our… differences." She glanced over at Harry, who smiled back at her.

Ron let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank _Merlin_!" he said. "I hated that you two were fighting." He came forward and wrapped both of them in a group hug.

Ginny watched them, an odd feeling stirring in her stomach. The Golden Trio was back together once more. She had known that Hermione couldn't stay mad at Harry forever. The three of them had been through far too much to let this come between them for very long. If there was one thing she had learned about them, it was that they always rebounded from anything thrown at them. They fought, they cursed at each other, they even threw the occasional punch, but they would always be there for each other, through thick and thin. When one of them needed help, the others could be counted upon to be there.

Ginny was happy that they were once again a team, but she couldn't help feeling a bit of resentment. She had always been the odd one out when they were younger. The trio was very secretive, and she could recall dozens of times that they had sent her away to discuss things. In her sixth year, they had been the ones to leave, condemning her to another year at 'Hogwarts' under Severus Snape. Ginny dearly hoped that this time around, she wouldn't be left out of everything. She didn't think that she would be able to handle it without killing someone.

Everyone was smiling despite themselves as they watched the three reconcile. Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes as she beamed; clearly, she had been waiting for this moment.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on the door. Ginny jumped, surprised.

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Now who could that be?" she muttered to herself, starting to stand up.

"I'll get it, Mum," Ginny said, curious to see who was coming. It was probably Luna, finished with her work and ready to greet Harry.

She crossed the room to the front door, and threw it open. A girl stood out there, a girl Ginny had never seen before.

She was gorgeous, blatantly put. Tall and tan, with light, wavy brown hair down to her waist. Her features were sharp and angular, with an elegant finesse to them. Her eyes, big and blue, were breath-catching; they caught the light and shone like a crystal under the sun. She must have been Ginny's age, or a year or two older. But there was something about her that just seemed much more mature than Ginny could ever hope to be.

"Er- can I help you?" Ginny asked awkwardly, frowning at the woman.

"Yes," she said, her voice slightly accented with something Ginny couldn't place. "My name is Hannah Graceling. Is Harry Potter here? I need to have a word with him."

* * *

**A/N: First off, sorry for the wait! This chapter was a little hard to write. I hope I got all the reactions right. If not… oh well, it's my story.**

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter, and please leave some input for this one! It really means a lot.**

**Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


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